Orion
by Lauren779
Summary: Sequel to Gemini. Better summary inside. Castle reevaluates his relationship with Beckett when he hits a writers block. Meanwhile, Beckett investigates a series of random murders that are not so random and more sinister then expected.
1. Author's Note

**Author's note**: Hi everyone. Thanks for stopping by and reading. This story is a sequel to Gemini, so if you haven't read Gemini, there are some plot points in that story that I will be using in this one. You don't have to read Gemini, but it would clarify some confusion. Otherwise, I use things that have also happened in the past episodes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy

**Summary:** When Castle hits a major writers block while working on his next Nikki Heat novel, he starts to re-evaluate his muse when friends suggest his partnership with the NYPD, and more importantly Beckett has run it's course. Meanwhile, Beckett and her team investigate a string of random murders that may not be so random and more sinister then originally expected.


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

RICHARD Castle stared at his computer monitor, watching as the lone cursor taunted him between milliseconds when the cursor flashed in-and-out yearning for words other then 'Chapter One.' To say he had hit a writers block would have been an understatement. Gina, his ex-wife and publisher, had been hounding him to start another Nikki Heat novel, since his last Nikki Heat novel, Naked Heat, was number seven on the New York Times Bestseller List.

However, that was three months ago. In three months Castle was usually done writing a novel, not staring at the screen every night hoping words would magically appear until his manuscript was done. He could almost hear Gina's voice in his head, threatening him with the return of the advance in money (again) - as if that would inspire him enough to write. On the other hand, he could also hear his mother's voice, telling him that he was just at a standstill - that these things sometimes happen.

Castle wasn't the only one at a standstill. In what would be considered a good thing, New York City had been awfully quiet in the homicide department, to the point where his friends at the 12th Precinct were working cold cases, since fresh homicides had taken a metaphorical backseat. Beckett had told him once that it wasn't uncommon to have a 'dry spell' where no recent murders have been committed, but for Castle, part of the allure of shadowing Beckett was getting down to the nitty-gritty of a homicide and watch the story play out from the beginning to the end. For him, a cold case was like opening a book halfway and being expected to know every detail before that as if he had read the beginning - as if he knew first hand what was going on.

Turning in his chair, he put his laptop back on the desk, thinking a change in scenery might incite the flow of some creative juices, or inspire him to write something that was more than two words. Unfortunately, inspiration, at the moment, was MIA.

"Writing troubles?"

Castle looked up from his laptop screen to see his daughter, Alexis, standing at the doorframe. She had seen him before when he was stuck writing a particular scene, or having troubles finding dialogue for his characters, but she had never seen him without a plan for a novel. When he wrote something, everything was mapped out in his head before he even began to write, and now there was nothing.

He closed his laptop down, and then said, "No, not really."

Alexis crossed her arms. "You aren't a very good liar, Dad."

"Yeah, I guess you are right," He said, leaning back in his ultra-comfy chair. "I think I just need to get out of this apartment for a bit, you know? Find some inspiration in New York City's air."

"You mean pollution and rotting garbage on the streets?" Alexis joked, which caused Castle to smile.

"Wouldn't be New York without it," He said, and as if on cue, his cell phone began to vibrate on his desk, the picture on his iPhone showing the book cover-art of Nikki Heat, naked and holding a gun strategically, to remind Castle that there was something else New York wouldn't be New York without. Murder.

"Beckett," He said, when he picked up the phone. "I was just thinking about you."

* * *

BECKETT pulled up her unmarked police car next to the ME van, and shut off the engine. For a moment, she watched as the police lights colored the night sky, before she brought herself back to reality and reminded herself that a body had been found after two months of nothing. Two months wasn't the longest New York had gone without a murder, and now that she was here at the crime scene and observed CSU and other police personnel squaring off a part of Central Park, and investigating the scene, she felt as if this murder was taunting her; as if to remind her that evil acts such as murder would never leave the city, no matter how much she wished it would.

She got out of the car, shutting the door, and then made her way over to that damned yellow tape. She could feel the barrage of every emotion inside her, from sadness to anger, as she crossed the police line. It only lasted a moment, but it was enough to remind her that she wasn't over the events that had happened 10 years ago, when it was her mother lying on the cold New York pavement, and only the moon was watching over her.

Esposito and Ryan were already there. For some reason, even though she was the first to be at work, they were always the first Detectives to arrive at a crime scene. She couldn't be sure, but she had a funny feeling that they had used their police dome light to navigate through New York's traffic.

Beckett walked over to Laine who was knelt down on the ground examining the body. The victim was male, African American, slim, but muscular and very well dressed, and if she had to guess, the suit he was wearing was an Armani.

Lanie looked up to see her friend, and smiled. "Castle here yet?"

Before Beckett could answer, Castle's familiar voice was heard saying, "I'm here! I'm coming! Don't start without me!" As he made his way over to the body.

When Castle was finally close enough, Beckett asked, "What do we got?"

"Male. Forty years old. COD looks like strangulation," Lanie answered.

"Do you have an ETD?" Beckett asked, and Laine nodded.

"Rigor Mortis has just begun to set, so I would say no more then over 3 hours ago. So around 5 to 6pm, but if I had to guess-" Lanie grabbed the victim's hand, showing Castle and Beckett the Rolex watch he was wearing that was stuck at 5:30pm, as if it had been broken "it would be 5:30pm on the dot."

Beckett looked down at her father's watch that she wore to remind herself of the life she saved after her mother's death. It was now 10:00pm, and this homicide didn't appear to be a robbery since the victim still had his very expensive things with him, including his briefcase and wedding ring on. If he was still married, she had no doubt that his wife would be wondering where he was.

"Do we know who he is?" She asked, and now Esposito and Ryan joined the three of them.

"Vic's name is Victor Shawn," Esposito answered.

"Corporate lawyer," Ryan added, and then held up an evidence bag with a cellphone in it. "Caller ID has someone named Robyn phoning for the past hour."

"That could be his wife," Beckett said. "What about his wallet?"

Esposito handed it to her, and she looked through it. The address on his drivers license had put him on the opposite side of town. Castle noticed that too.

"What was he doing in Central Park?" Castle asked, and the two male detectives shrugged.

"Could be a dump," Ryan said, after a moment. "I mean, there were car keys found on him, but no car. We've checked."

"Nice car too," Esposito said. "Lamborghini."

"Guy had a nice life," Castle remarked, looking down at the man.

"Who called it in?" Beckett asked.

"Old woman walking her dog. Lost control of her dog, and found the dog sniffing around the body," Esposito answered. "Didn't see anything before that, but then again she said she was old and her eye sight was bad, plus it didn't help that it was dark."

Beckett thanked Esposito and Ryan, and then said goodbye to Lanie, who was getting ready to move the body back to the morgue. She started to head toward her car.

"Where are you going?" Castle asked, following her.

She stopped, turning to face him. "To his home. I have to tell his wife."

Castle froze. This was the only thing he hated about shadowing Beckett, and that was being the bearer of bad news. He admired Beckett's ability to tell someone the worst news of their lives, and he knew that Beckett had once been the receiver of that news, and that was what often made her the go to detective to tell family and friends what every detective dreaded telling.

"You can come if you want," Beckett said, and for the first time Castle wasn't sure if he wanted to tag along, knowing that if he went, he might not sleep that night.


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

BECKETT pulled her car onto the driveway of the large brownstone home that Victor Shawn lived at. One of the aspects of this job enabled Beckett to see various homes around New York, from the richest to the poorest, and everything in between.

Stepping out of the car, she took in the marvelous landscape of their yard. Even in the dark and on the semi-lit court street where the victim lived, she could tell that it was well taken care of. She also noticed there was a basketball hoop hanging above the garage door, and just to the side of the house there was a red metal net, with hockey sticks laying on top of them.

'_Must be an athletic family,'_ she thought as she made her way up the stairs. Castle had decided not to accompany her this time, and she didn't blame him for that. This was the hardest part of the job and one of the worst aspects of it. If she could, she would have rather been anywhere else but standing outside this house, but someone had to notify the family and who better then someone who also lost a family member to murder.

She softly knocked on the door, and it didn't take long before a beautiful woman opened the door. She was tall, thin, and muscular, confirming Beckett's thought that the couple were athletic. She was also very well dressed, and even though it was 11:00pm, she still had her make up on.

The woman was slightly taken aback by Beckett's presence. "Can I help you?" She asked.

Beckett showed the woman her badge. "Mrs. Shawn? I'm Detective Kate Beckett. I'm here about Victor Shawn."

Mrs. Shawn stood at the door for a moment, as if she was processing what Beckett had said, and then stepped aside, allowing Beckett to enter. She then led the detective to the living room, and Beckett couldn't help but notice how plainly the inside of the house was decorated. It reminded her of how her parents had decorated her childhood home.

They both took a seat on one of the brown leather couches, and Beckett turned toward the woman. "Mrs. Shawn-"

"Please, call me Robyn," Robyn said. "You said you wanted to talk to me about my husband?"

Beckett nodded her head, and then took a breath, but before she could even speak, Robyn began to shake her head, as if she had watched this in a television show before.

"No," Robyn said, her voice beginning to crack. "Please. No."

"I'm sorry," Beckett said, but that didn't satisfy Robyn who got up from the couch and ran her hands through her long brown hair.

"Detective, I think you are mistaken," She said, and her voice became fast paced, like she was hyperventilating. "You see he can't be because...because we are going to Argentina in two days. Okay? We have plans."

Beckett knew from experience that murder didn't care if one had plans or not. She got up to reach Robyn's height and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and that's when the late thirty-year-old woman broke down and began to sob. Beckett led her back to the couch, looking around the room for a tissue box, and when she found one she brought it over to Robyn who gratefully accepted it, while Beckett waited patiently for her to finish.

When she was done, Robyn looked at Beckett, her make-up running down her eyes, and asked, "How?"

"He was strangled," Beckett said in a soft voice, and Robyn just bit her lip as it quivered.

"Was it a robbery?" She asked, and Beckett shook her head.

"Robyn, do you know if anyone wanted to hurt your husband?"

"He was the nicest man, everyone loved him. He even volunteered as mentor for at risk male youth."

"He was found in Central Park, do you know why he would be there?"

"No. His office wasn't even around that area. Tonight he was supposed to be coming home straight after work." Robyn put her head into her hands and cried again. "It doesn't make sense."

Beckett put a hand on Robyn's back, and waited until she got back up again.

"I'm sorry," Robyn said, after a breath. "I'm not usually like this."

"I know this must be hard for you," Beckett said. "Is there anyone I can call for you? Do you have children?"

Robyn shook her head. "We never had kids, and Victor's parents died years ago. My family lives in Chicago...God...I don't even know how to tell them...I can't even believe this is happening. How do I deal with something like this?"

Beckett saw the fresh tears stream down Robyn's face, and she wanted to give her an answer that would make everything all right, but there wasn't one, instead she just spoke from experience. "One day, you'll wake up and realize that it doesn't hurt so bad."

Robyn stared at Beckett. "Did you lose your husband too?"

"No...my mother."

"Did they catch the person?" Robyn asked.

"It's complicated," Beckett said. "But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to find the person who killed your husband."

"Thank you," Robyn said.

"Robyn," Beckett began, her voice stern but soft at the same. "I hate to have to ask you this, but where were you between 5-to-6pm?"

Usually when Beckett asked this question to the victim's family she got a mixture of reactions. Most of them were outrage of how she could even ask that question, and from her experience, those tended to be the ones who were guilty.

"No, I understand," Robyn said. "I've seen enough crime procedural shows to know, right?" She half-laughed before she said, "I was at my office in downtown until seven. It's, um, a law office - Sterns. I was working on a presentation with a group of colleagues and my boss."

Beckett wrote down the information in her little notepad. "I'm also going to need the name of the youth group he volunteered with." Robyn nodded, giving her the name that was located at a school in the Bronx.

"His car was not found near him, I'm going to need a description of the color," Beckett said.

"It's a black Lamborghini...you don't think the person that killed him did it over a car, do you?"

"In my experience, this doesn't look like a robbery. His keys, as well as his wallet, briefcase and wedding ring and watch were found on him."

"Oh right, I already asked that..." She trailed off, and then looked at Beckett. "Is there a chance that this is a dream and I'll wake up and he'll be beside me?"

Beckett could only give her a sympathetic look as she knew all to well how she wished her mother's murder had only been a terrible nightmare.

She thanked Robyn for her time, as Robyn got up to escort her out of the home. She explained that the corners office would contact her when she could claim her husband's body. As always, she expressed her sincere condolences once she was outside the home.

Once Robyn shut the door, Beckett cringed to herself as she heard Robyn let out an anguished scream.

* * *

CASTLE had barely gotten out of his own car in the underground parking lot of the Precinct when he saw Beckett's police issued car pull up beside him.

"Road trip?" He asked as he traded one car for another, and climbed into the passenger seat. He noticed there were two cups of coffee in the holder, and reached down to pick up his.

"We are going to check out Mr. Shaw's office. See if anyone there can tell us anything," Beckett answered, while concentrating on driving.

Castle nodded his head, and then took another sip of coffee. He wanted to ask her how last night went, but decided against it. Telling someone their loved one had been brutally murdered was never easy.

By the time they pulled the car out into the main street, they were already sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Castle thought to himself that it probably would have been much faster to take the subway.

Beckett took this opportunity to drink her own coffee. Before Castle had arrived at the Precinct she had already checked Robyn's alibi, and her colleagues and boss both confirmed she was at work until seven. She was going to find whoever was responsible for killing Victor Shaw, and hopefully finding his killer would bring some peace to his wife.

The traffic started to move along, and Beckett inched her car foreword. The car ride was surprisingly silent, with Castle staring out his window.

"Everything alright?" Beckett asked, and Castle turned to look at her.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," Castle said, and then took another sip of his coffee. "Couldn't sleep last night."

Beckett found it hard to sleep sometimes after visiting a crime scene herself. This job was hard, and maybe Castle was starting to realize just how hard it really was.

They drove in silence some more, until Castle became more awake and started joking about various things from the cars people drove, to their more creative license plate numbers.

"You know," Castle began. "You should totally put a customized license plate on this car."

Beckett turned to him. "Yeah? What?"

"Niki Heat, but spelt N-K-I and then Heat."

"No."

"Come on, that would be so cool. You want to be cool, don't you?"

"Castle..." Beckett said, as if she was a parent disciplining a child.

"Maybe I can persuade Esposito and Ryan to change their license plate to Roach," He said to himself, however he was still bent on getting Beckett to change hers.

"How about 'Becks?' Or 'K. Becks?' or just 'Beckett?'"

"Unlike you, Castle, I don't need a fancy license plate."

"Come on. You can't tell me R. Castle isn't a cool license plate."

"It's self-absorbed," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "And don't ever call me Becks again."

Castle put his hands up in surrender, and mumbled, "You're the one with the gun."

She gave him a smile, before parallel parking the car on the curb. They had arrived at Victor Shawn's place of work.

* * *

MR. Samuel Carter was every bit the tailored business man/lawyer. Carter was Caucasian, in his fifties, large built, but not obese, and if there were any signs of graying or balding on this man's head, he just dyed it with 'Just For Men'.

Carter led Beckett and Castle into his office, passing co-workers comforting each other at their desks and cubicles. Carter had a sullen look on his face as well, but he was still every bit the polite gentleman, offering the two of them anything from coffee to pastries that were way out of Beckett's price range.

Once the two were settled in the seats across from his desk, where you could see the water from his office window, Carter sat down and said, "Robyn, his wife, phoned this morning. I just can't believe it. I was talking to him yesterday..."

"I'm sorry," Beckett began. "Is there anything you can tell us about him?"

Carter leaned back in his chair. "What's not to tell? Victor was one of my best employees and a very hard worker. He strived for perfection and it showed."

"Did he have any enemies?" Castle asked, and Carter just laughed.

"Sorry, Mr. Castle, I didn't mean to laugh. You may not believe me, but _everyone _loved this man. I don't even think enemy was in his vocabulary. He was the type of person you could say hello to in an elevator, and he would be inviting you over for a barbecue that weekend."

"He seems like he is a good guy," Beckett said.

"Well, he wasn't perfect. He had a troubled youth, went through some stages, but he grew up and figured working hard and being nice to people would pay off in the end-" Carter paused. "Whatever good that did him now."

"Do you know what time Victor left work at yesterday?"

"On days he went into the Bronx for volunteering, we would leave work together at around 3:30pm, but I don't think he was volunteering yesterday, so he probably stayed another hour. The latest he ever stayed was until five, but I can't be sure. My secretary might have a better answer for you."

"And did he drive to work?" Castle asked and Carter nodded.

"Black Lamborghini - he was so happy when he bought that car. It was his favorite since childhood."

"We found his keys on him, but we can't find his car," Beckett said. "Do you know of any places he might take it?"

Carter shrugged. "You two are more then welcome to check our underground parking lot." He took out a piece of paper and grabbed a pen, writing down the parking space number, and then handed it to Beckett. "He usually only drove that car to work and home."

* * *

BECKETT and Castle made their way into the Law Firm's underground parking lot. According to the secretary, Victor left at four, so where ever he went during that time, someone grabbed him, killed him, and dumped his body within an hour and forty-five minutes.

"What was your dream car as a kid?" Castle suddenly asked as they made their way to Victor's parking spot.

Beckett looked at him, giving him the 'are you kidding look.' "It was a motorcycle. Harley Softail...I can't even believe we are having this conversation."

"Oh right," Castle said. "Because you couldn't get a pony."

Beckett just shook her head. "Yours?"

"I liked Ferraris. But I'm more into the old classic cars."

"Speaking of cars," Beckett said, pointing to Victor's parking place where a black Lamborghini was still in place.

"Did he even make it out of the office?" Castle asked, exchanging a confused look with Beckett.


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

CASTLE made his way over to the car, while Beckett looked around to see if there were any security cameras in the parking garage, and smiled to herself when she saw one pointed near Victor's car.

"Nice car," Castle said, as he made his way closer to inspect it. The Lamborghini was a 2007 Gallardo Nera model, which was a pretty exclusive car.

"No touching, Castle," Beckett said from the other side of the parking garage, and Castle instinctively stepped back.

"What now?" He asked, and Beckett pointed to the camera she had found.

"Now we go back up and see who has been lying to us."

They both made their way back to the elevator, Castle pressing the 23rd floor where Mr. Carter was situated at, and waited as the elevator took them up.

"Why didn't you come with me to talk to his wife?" Beckett suddenly asked, which threw Castle off guard. "I mean, I don't blame you, it's hard to tell someone they lost a loved one, but it was just...odd."

If he was honest with himself, he probably couldn't come up with a reason as to why he decided to skip the worst part of all murder investigations. As a murder-novelist, he had to write scenes with people dealing in their grief, and what better way to write about it then to experience in person what grief looked like. However, there was something about last night - scratch that - these last three months that was frustrating him, and for the first time he couldn't put what he was feeling in words. He, like his third Nikki Heat novel, was stumped.

Castle was about to say something when the elevator doors chimed and then opened, sparing him. He knew Beckett would probably ask again later, but for now they were looking for Samuel Carter.

"Mr. Carter," Beckett called out when she saw him step out of his office. He walked over to them. "We found Mr. Shawn's car in the garage. We are going to need access to the security cameras."

"Security is located in the lobby, they have access to all the cameras," Carter began. "I don't think they will give you a problem viewing them."

* * *

THE security office was located to the left of the elevators, and the employee working had no qualms with allowing Beckett and Castle to view the archived footage that was kept in the back room.

Castle watched as Beckett found the tape they were looking for, and popped it in. Seconds later, footage of the parking garage was displayed and they watched Victor Shawn park his car at exactly 7:00am.

Castle watched as Victor casually got out of his car, and he wondered if Victor would have done anything differently that day had he known he was going to die. Castle liked to think that if he had one more day on earth that he would spend it with the people most important to him and enjoy it like he enjoyed every day of his life.

They continued to watch, fast tracking the tape. Since seven, Victor had not returned to his car, and there was no suspicious behavior by or near it, even long after he was murdered.

"Maybe he went out through the lobby," Castle suggested, but Beckett was already thinking that, having grabbed another security tape that had footage of the lobby camera. Again, there was nothing suspicious. At 12:00pm, Victor left for lunch with some of his coworkers through the lobby, and they all returned an hour later. However, at 4:05, Victor was seen exiting the lobby with his briefcase in hand, which confirmed the secretary's statement that Victor had left at four. Whatever happened to him after that ultimately led to his untimely death.

Beckett's cellphone began to ring, and she stepped aside to answer it, while Castle continued to look at the footage, hoping to find something, but the only thing they he knew was that when Victor left the building, he had turned right.

"That was Lanie," Beckett said. "She has the autopsy report in."

* * *

LANIE was thorough. When she autopsied a body, she went up and down with it like a fine comb, making sure she didn't miss anything. That was what made her one of the best M.E's in New York, as she took the time to make sure everything was examined.

That's how she noticed small pinprick's on Victor Shawn's upper arm, which was consistent with needle marks. She counted 18 pricks that were weirdly placed, and only clearly visible under the microscope. Regardless, she still took a zoomed in picture of it, just in case.

The door to the morgue swung open as Castle and Beckett entered, causing Lanie to turn her attention toward them.

"COD was ligature strangulation," Lanie began. "And by the lack of defensive wounds, I'm going to say he was strangled while he was unconscious. He was dead within a matter of seconds."

"Anything else?" Beckett asked.

"There was no trace evidence aside from grass stains on his suit. Whoever killed him was careful, but I did find something odd." Lanie walked over to her desk, picking up the picture of the pinpricks on Victor's upper arm and handing it over to Beckett.

"Those look like needle marks," Castle said, to which Lanie nodded.

"I couldn't find any holes on his clothing, so they could have been done when his shirt was rolled up, and I can't tell you if those are self inflicted or if the killer put them on his arms."

"His wife did say they were planning on going to Argentina. They could be inoculation shots," Beckett suggested, and Lanie nodded as if that made sense.

"The ligature marks on his neck are consistent with a fishing test line, other then that I'm afraid I don't have much information for you," Lanie said giving the two of them a sympathetic look.

"Thanks," Beckett said, keeping the picture for reference. She had hoped that Lanie would be able to give her more information, even find trace evidence, but alas they were back at square one.

"What now?" Castle asked, as the two of them said goodbye to Lanie and were headed back to the Precinct.

"Now we go back to his office and see where he went after he left work."


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

CASTLE opened the door to Beckett's very uncomfortable police issued car, and stepped out first. The two of them, in the past, had gotten major leads in murder investigations by retracing the victim's last steps, and he had hoped that they would get lucky on this case as well.

"If I were Victor Shawn, where would I go?" Castle asked aloud, looking down from the area Victor was last seen heading. The truth was Victor could have stepped into any one of the stores that were beside his office. "This might take awhile," Castle said to Beckett, and when he turned to face her, he noticed she wasn't paying attention to him. "Beckett?"

"We might not have to," Beckett said, and Castle looked over to where she was staring. Just down the road, there was a street-meat vendor.

Beckett made her way over to the vendor, Castle following behind. When they got there, the street-meat Vendor said, "What can I get you two?"

Beckett took out her badge and showed it to the man. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett, can I talk to you for a second?"

The Vendor was slightly confused, but then nodded his head. "Is everything all right?"

"Were you working here yesterday around 4pm?"

The Vendor nodded. "I work here everyday from 11am to 9pm."

"Did you see this man yesterday around that time?" Beckett asked, showing the Vendor of a picture of Victor Shawn, one that his wife had given the police.

"That's Victor," The Vendor said. "Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"You know him?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, he orders sausage for lunch most days," The Vendor answered. "Is he all right?"

"He was found murdered yesterday," Beckett said, and the Vendor stepped back from his cart, like he couldn't believe the news.

"Seriously?" He asked, and both Castle and Beckett nodded. "Geez, that's...awful."

"We were wondering if you saw anything suspicious yesterday around 4pm?"

The Vendor went quiet for a moment, and then slowly started to nod his head. "Yeah, in fact, I did see Victor around four."

"Did you see where he was going?" Beckett asked.

"No, but usually around four I'm super busy, but I remember looking up because Victor was arguing with somebody in the middle of the sidewalk. I didn't catch the conversation."

Beckett asked, "Can you describe the person he was arguing with?"

"He was young, maybe fourteen to sixteen years old. Medium height and black. He was wearing baggy clothes, kind of looked thuggish."

"Is there anything else you can remember?" Castle asked.

"Yeah. The kid, he had a large scar on his left cheek."

* * *

THE organization Victor volunteered with had given Beckett and Castle the name of the school where he spent some weeknights mentoring troubled youth in the Bronx. The principal of the school had been more then willing to cooperate with the investigation, giving them the name of the student with the scar on his left cheek: Fifteen-year-old Roger Jones.

The Principal led Beckett and Castle to the gymnasium, where Roger was supposed to be. While walking around the school, Castle couldn't help but notice what private donations and money could do to a school. He had been fortunate enough growing up to attend private schools with finer education, and now it made him realize that getting kicked out of all of them was probably immature on his part, considering most of these kids would probably love to have their school look like any of the ones he went to when he was young.

The Principal took them through the sports-utility closet, and both Beckett and Castle looked around at the sports equipment. Some of the items were old and broken, such as badminton rackets and bent plastic hockey sticks. The Principal had told them that the school was underfunded and the sports equipment took the biggest hit until Victor Shawn started mentoring, and him and his wife donated money to buy new sports equipment - sports equipment that the school would never even dream of having if it wasn't for Victor.

However, Beckett wasn't paying attention to what the Principal was saying, because on one of the walls, there were six sets of fishing poles.

Beckett wasn't the only one who noticed either, as Castle said, "Your students go fishing?"

"In the summer Victor takes a couple of students out at a time," The Principal answered as they now entered the gymnasium. The students were playing dodgeball, and Roger could be seen, thoroughly enjoying nailing his opponents with the ball.

"Roger!" The Principal yelled out, and Roger, who was midway of throwing yet another ball, froze in spot and turned to look at the Principal.

"What?" Roger called back, and the Principal motioned for him to come closer. Roger sighed, but agreed.

"What?" He said again, when he was in front of Beckett and Castle.

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett," Beckett said, showing him her badge. "I need to ask you a few questions about Victor Shawn."

"What about him?" Roger asked, crossing his arms. He didn't seem to amused or scared that the police were talking to him.

"He's dead - murdered, actually, and a witness places you with Victor arguing in the middle of the sidewalk an hour before he died," Beckett said.

Roger's stance and expression quickly changed as he unfolded his arms and took a step back. "Wha? He's dead? No. You can't think it was me?"

"We don't know what to think at this moment. Tell us what you were arguing about."

"All right. Yeah, I was arguing with him yesterday around four, but by 4:20, I was already gone."

"What were you arguing about?" Beckett asked.

"I got kicked out of the mentoring program a month ago by Victor. I asked him to take me back. He said I already used up my second and third chances, and if I could prove I was really serious about changing I could come back. I called him an asshole - cause, ya know, I was angry and told he was a crappy mentor, but then we went our separate ways."

Out of curiosity Castle asked, "Why did you get kicked out of the program?"

Roger sighed. "Victor caught me trying to sell some Mary Jane to the young kids."

"Where were you between five and six," Beckett asked.

"Doing community service for the Metro," Roger said. "You can check with my supervisor. I was there."

Beckett wrote down the information, and allowed Roger to go back to the dodgeball game. She then turned to the Principal and said, "We could get a warrant, but Mr. Shawn was killed with a fishing test line. We were wondering if we could take those fishing poles."

"Take them," The Principal said. "Mr. Shawn has helped a lot of the students here. Anything to help catch his killer."

* * *

BY the time Castle and Beckett got back to the Precinct, after dropping off the fishing rods to CSU, Esposito and Ryan were busy gathering their things, as if they were in a rush to get to some place.

"Where are you two headed?" Castle asked, as Esposito walked right by him.

"Got another call for a body," Ryan answered. "First there are no murders for months, and now we have another one just barely a day apart."

"Where?" Beckett asked, and Ryan told her the address.

"Meet us there?" Esposito asked and Beckett just nodded. She had to finish some things up first, but it wouldn't take long.


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

BECKETT lifted the yellow-tape over her head and stepped inside the crime scene, with Castle behind her. Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie were all standing by the body as CSU took pictures and collected evidence.

"What do we got?" Beckett asked, and then looked down at the body. The victim was a young female, and she was stabbed multiple times, however what was interesting about this one, was that the victim appeared to be posed, with one arm sticking up, and another arm sticking out.

"So far I counted eighteen stab wounds," Lanie said, and then knelt down to start examining the body. She didn't want to move it before Beckett got there.

"Any I.D?" Beckett asked, and Esposito shook his head.

"No, but once we get back to the Precinct we will look through missing persons and then release her information to the media to see if anyone knows who she is."

"Our victim hasn't been dead long," Lanie said. "Rigor has just begun to set. I'd say her ETD was around 2 - to - 4 pm."

Beckett nodded her head in thanks and stepped away from the body. The sun had barely begun to set, and in all her experience as a homicide detective, she knew that dumping a body in daylight was risky, considering the chances of being seen rose significantly.

Castle decided to step away from the body as well, even though the way the killer had posed the body intrigued him. As a crime novelist, he often wrote about strange ways in which bodies were found, whether it be covered in rose petals with sunflowers covering their eyes, or lying on top of a pentagram for ritual sacrifices - but this one was different. There didn't seem to be a purpose in how she was posed, other then the fact that it drew attention, as if to say, 'look at me and what I can do to a body.' If Castle had to guess, whoever killed this young woman was definitely not an amateur.

"Found something," Lanie suddenly said as she pulled an ipod nano out of the inside pocket of the woman's jacket. "It's engraved too."

Beckett took the ipod from Lanie and turned it over. The engraving read: To Cassandra, love Mom & Dad. At least they now had a first name. She handed the ipod over to Esposito who was holding out an evidence bag. They would check for prints and run it through the system, and if they were lucky, they would come up with a match. Beckett didn't want Cassandra's parents to have to view a picture of their dead daughter on the news at six if they didn't have to.

Ryan and Esposito decided to head back to the Precinct and get a head start on fully identifying the victim, and Lanie was almost done working the crime scene. Within another hour or two, the ally, where the body had been dumped, would be cleaned up, erasing any traces that a crime had been committed.

Castle appeared beside Beckett. "I don't think anyone around here has seen anything."

Beckett nodded her head in agreement. By the time the person who reported the body to the police had stumbled upon it, she had been there for a good thirty minutes, if not longer.

"Come on," She said. "I'll drive you back to the Precinct. There isn't much more we can do now anyway."

* * *

CASTLE was sitting in his office at home, his laptop open. His mother had been watching the Cooking Channel all-day and decided to try to make one of the meals she had seen on it that afternoon. His mother wasn't normally a cook; in fact, growing up he couldn't remember one time she had cooked dinner. He had to give her credit though, at least she married or dated men that could. It was only after her last relationship had failed did she start spending time in the kitchen, and he had to suffer through some bland meals before he eventually got married and taught himself to cook. When his mother moved in with him and Alexis, her cooking had improved somewhat, to the point where she was only required to make something if he wasn't home to cook. Now that he was shadowing Beckett for his Nikki Heat series, his availability to cook dinner had decreased, and Martha had taken over. It wasn't until she began teaching a drama class part time did her culinary skills flourish when she became spontaneous in cooking, and now it was hard to get her out of the kitchen.

It's not the he minded either. With his mother cooking, it gave him time to work during the moments he was at home. There were only so many deadlines he could push back before the novel became a labor of all nighters and energy drinks.

However, right now Castle was not working. He had started to write, and just when he thought he was making progress he would erase it all to the only thing that was left was the only two words that stayed cemented on the top of his screen.

Frustrated, Castle put his laptop back down on the desk, and made his way into the kitchen, where his mother was humming a song to herself as she got the last bit of dinner ready.

She turned around when she noticed him, and smiled. "Dinner is almost done, darling. How's work coming along?"

He sat down on the bar stool, leaning his face against the palm of his hand. "It's not," He mumbled.

Martha's expression changed. She hated to see her son so down about his work, especially when he had come home and proclaimed to her and Alexis that he had a 'flash of genius', and was going to be writing until dinner was ready. "Cheer up, kiddo," Martha said. "So you have a little writers block - it isn't the end of the world."

"If I don't start writing it will be the end of the Nikki Heat series - Gina will make sure of that," Castle responded, still not feeling any better about his situation.

"Maybe after a nice dinner you will be more inclined to write?" Martha suggested, and she gave him a motherly smile. "I mean, it's not like Nikki Heat is gone, you just have to find the words and ideas for her."

Castle pondered that for about a moment before he called Alexis down for dinner. The way his thoughts were coming up empty with a solid idea to write about Nikki's next adventure, she might as well have been gone.

* * *

BY morning, Esposito and Ryan had identified their latest victim. Her name was Cassandra Owens, 23, and a Masters student at NYU. She lived with her parents, and that was where Beckett and Castle were heading to talk to them.

They arrived at the average sized town home, and it reminded Beckett of the house she grew up in as a kid. Cassandra's father, Jonathan, was the first person to answer the door, and the man who was in his late fifties, with a small protruding gut and balding head was red with grief as he led the two of them into the living room where Cassandra's mother was sitting on the couch accompanied by her two sons.

"Make yourselves at home," Jonathan said, and then took a seat on the opposite side of the couch once Beckett and Castle were settled.

"We are sorry for your loss," Beckett began with empathy in her voice that came with being a murder victim survivor herself. It was how she started all her interviews when speaking to the victim's family.

"Thank you," The son to the left of his mother, Aaron said. Beckett couldn't tell if he was older or younger then Cassandra.

"I know this will be difficult to answer, but do you know anyone who would want to hurt your daughter?"

There was a silence in the room, before the son on the right, Marko said, "She was bullied a lot in middle and high school. Some of the girls were really mean to her, but I can't imagine any of them taking a high school vendetta out almost six years later."

"She really enjoyed NYU, made lots of friends who are just as devastated as we are about her death," Cassandra's mother, Lillian added. "I can't see any of them hurting her."

"Did she still keep in contact with those that bullied her?" Castle asked.

"No," Jonathan said, shaking his head. "I mean she did tell us one of the girls who bullied her came up to her in Macy's one day and apologized. She forgave her, and then went separate ways."

"As far as Cassie was concerned, once she graduated high school it was goodbye and good riddance," Aaron added.

"So she didn't go out of her way to find them of associate with them," Castle said, and Aaron nodded.

"Exactly. I mean, she did her whole undergrad at ULA for Marine Biology."

Out of curiosity, Castle asked, "What made her come back to NY?"

"She was homesick," Lillian answered. "NYU had a program for Masters and she thought she'd come back here and finish up. Also, it saved her money living back home."

"Was there anyone at ULA that she could have been avoiding?" Beckett asked.

"If there was, she never said anything," Marko said. "And it wasn't like it was a quick decision either. She filled out both applications for the Masters program here and at ULA. Why would she do that if she was trying to get away from someone?"

Beckett didn't know the answer to that, and a silence fell over the room. The question she dreaded asking was coming up.

"I hate to do this, but I need to know where you were between 2:00pm and 4:00pm yesterday."

At this question, Jonathan stood up from his chair. "What? You can't honestly think one of us killed our own daughter?"

"Dad, calm down," Aaron said. "She's only doing her job." He turned to look at Beckett. "I was at school until three, and then I went to pick up Marko at work by 3:30, and then we headed to the Senior Soccer League to play soccer from four to six."

"I was working from nine to five," Lillian said, and gave Beckett the name of her office.

"I was working from twelve to eight at my auto repair shop," Jonathan said in a more calm voice. "Didn't leave once."

Beckett nodded her head, making sure she wrote down all the information correctly. They had looked really grief stricken over Cassandra's death, and the family pictures that hung on the wall portrayed a loving family that had good memories and good times in each other's company, and not a family that would kill their daughter.

However, Beckett worked this job long enough to know that not everything was what it seemed, and she had a funny feeling the Owen's would be surprised to know just how many people are victims to episodes of rage a year.

She decided against it, instead escorting herself and Castle out of the house. If they had any more questions, they could always come back, but now Beckett knew they needed to grieve.

The ride back to the Precinct was quiet, but a good quiet. It allowed both Beckett and Castle to think about whatever they had to think about.

Castle had a feeling that Beckett was thinking about the two open cases. He knew, hopefully, they would get more information once Lanie's autopsy report came back on Cassandra.

Castle's phone started to vibrate in his pocket and he shifted slightly to pull it out. It was a text message from Gina, and in big capital letters it read: 'YOU SHOULD BE WRITING.'


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

CASTLE allowed Beckett to step out of the elevator first when they arrived back to the fourth floor of the Precinct. He waved at Esposito and Ryan, who were sitting at their desks. Ryan was looking at a folder, while Esposito had just hung up his phone.

"The Owen's all alibi out," Esposito said to Beckett, and in a way, Beckett was relieved, but this also meant that they had nothing to go on. Now there were two open murder investigations on the whiteboard and both had taken them back to square one.

"Please tell me we have something new on any of these cases," Beckett said aloud.

"Well, forensics came back on the fishing lines," Ryan said, and this had perked both Castle and Beckett's interest. "Not a match. Forensics is saying that the fishing lines at the school are too thin to have made the mark on our vic's neck. They say we should be looking for a 50 pound test line."

"Damn," Castle said for all of them. He then made his way to Beckett's desk and sat in his chair.

"Damn is right," Esposito said. "We have tow murders, barely a day apart from each other, and nothing to go on for both of them."

Beckett knew Esposito was right, but it still didn't mean she liked the idea. There was no way she was going to allow these cases to become cold.

Ryan got up from his desk and made his way over to the whiteboard, pointing to Victor Shawn's case, and said, "Victor was killed in Central Park, so that means he was either kidnapped or he willingly went with his killer."

"The fact that he was killed with a fishing test line suggests personal," Beckett added, now making her way over to Ryan. "Whoever killed him must have known he took the kids fishing in the summer."

"Also, he was found in a park, which is attributed to recreational use and a place of fun," Esposito said. "A place where young kids would most likely go to."

"So either the killer was one of the kids, or someone made it look like it was one of the kids," Castle finished.

"Esposito and Ryan, find out the place they went fishing in the summer. Castle and I will talk to the rest of the kids in his youth group."

"Got it, boss," Esposito said, grabbing his things, as he and Ryan left.

* * *

THE two male detectives pulled their unmarked and way-better-then-Beckett's-car into the fishing arena that the Manger at the Youth Program said Victor took the kids fishing.

A male teenager, who was working the gates, turned to look at the Detectives and said, "Sorry, fishing season is over. We are closed."

Both Esposito and Ryan flashed the teen their badges, and he quickly straightened up.

"C-c-an I help you officers?" He said. He sounded nervous, and by the redness in his eyes, Esposito and Ryan chuckled quietly to themselves as to why he was so nervous.

"We need to speak with your manager," Esposito said. "It's important."

The teen nodded his head, and fumbled with the phone. They couldn't hear what he was saying, but then the teen hung up and turned back to the Detectives. "He's in the office building which is straight ahead to your right."

"Thank you," Ryan said, and the teen opened the parking gate so they could go in. When they got closer to the manager's office, they saw the manager standing outside, waiting for them. They parked the car into a parking space, and then got out.

"Officers, I'm Bob Horton, manager." He extended his pudgy hands and Ryan and Esposito shook it.

"I'm Detective Esposito, and this is my partner, Detective Ryan. We have some questions regarding Victor Shawn."

The man ran his pudgy hands through his hair. "Shame what happened to him. Can not believe it. Come on in, get settled."

Horton led the two detectives into his office, poured them each a cup of coffee, and then sat himself down on the opposite side of his desk.

"Did Mr. Shawn come here a lot over the summer?" Ryan asked, after a sip of the coffee.

"Yes he did. Almost every day, each time with a separate group of six kids."

"Did you notice any problems?" Esposito asked.

"No. None of the kids ever caused trouble either. I mean, there was one, how would you call it, a bad seed? Roger, that was his name, but Victor had to kick him out a couple of times. Guess it must have been permanent because he wasn't here this past summer." Horton paused. "You don't think Roger did it, do you?"

"No, we've already looked into him," Ryan answered. "What about the other kids?"

"They all adored him. Heck, they wanted to even be like him. I mean, Victor has been bringing kids here for years, and they all have been better for it. You know why Victor did those things for the kids? He had their life, once. One day, he got caught shoplifting out of a 7-11 as a teen. Instead of reporting him in, the store owner gave him a job - turned his whole life around. He got out of that life he was living, improved his grades in school - even went to college to become a lawyer. When he got his first huge bonus - he paid off the guys mortgage, the one that helped him."

"Sounds like an upstanding guy," Ryan said.

"He was. And he's changed lives around. No one hated him."

"We are thinking whoever killed him knew about him coming here for fishing. Is there any employees that might have a grudge with him?"

"No, I mean, like I said, guy couldn't make an enemy if he tried. Everyone got along with him. But, I'll give you a list of my employees. Some of them have minor criminal records like shoplifting and stealing - nothing violent, though."

Horton turned toward his computer, gathering the list. Right now, this was their only start, and both Ryan and Esposito had hoped it would lead them on the right track, or at least to a person of interest. After all, as Captain Montgomery always says, 'Anything is better then nothing.'

* * *

BECKETT hung up her cellphone and then made her way back into the Autopsy room where Castle and Lanie were waiting.

"That was Ryan. They got an employee list from the owner of the fishing area, some with minor criminal records. They're checking it out now," Beckett said.

"At least that's something," Lanie said, knowing how frustrated her friend got when a case hit a dead end.

"Ryan and Esposito think so too," Beckett answered.

"Okay," Lanie said, turning back to the body. "Now that we are all caught up on that, let me tell you what I found."

Lanie pointed to the puncture wounds on Cassandra's body. "Whoever killed her didn't use a standard knife."

"What do you think they used?" Castle asked.

"Something long and slender, like an ice pick."

Castle scrunched up his face. "That's got to be painful."

"I imagine so," Lanie began. "One of the punctures managed to hit the aorta artery in the heart. She died within seconds of that."

Beckett had silently hoped that Cassandra didn't suffer long, as Castle said, "Whoever killed her must have been strong to go in that deep."

Lanie nodded her head in agreement. "It's also very clean, and by clean I mean it appears as if the killer took their time. Each puncture is very consistent with each other with depth and force."

This had striked both Beckett and Castle as odd, and they both had come up with a conclusion to themselves that maybe Cassandra's murder wasn't one of passion.

Beckett asked, "Have there been any other murders in the past months that fit this description?"

"No," Lanie said, as if she had known either Beckett or Castle would ask that question. "I was looking through past files, and nothing came up with this description or similar to it."

"Anything else odd?" Castle asked.

"No, but once the tox results come back, I'll know more."

They thanked Lanie for the information, and Beckett even scheduled a girls night out with her M.E. friend that Castle also tried to get invited to unsuccessfully.

* * *

CASTLE took a quick peak at the cards he was dealt and then placed them flat down on the table. It was poker night, and as per usual he was playing with two other bestselling novelists, Patterson and Cannell, who were as serious about winning a game of poker, as they were dishing out best sellers.

However, it didn't take two mystery/crime novelists to notice that Castle seemed distracted.

"What's the matter?" Patterson asked, and it only took Castle a moment to realize the question was directed toward him.

"Nothing," He said.

"This is your fourth hand you've lost tonight," Cannell reminded. "A rookie poker player would have never kept your last hand."

Castle was quiet for a moment, realizing that Cannell was right. He was completely off his game, in fact, he was completely off everything. "There are these two open murder investigations that so far are turning up nothing."

"That's unfortunate," Patterson said, folding his hand. "But also not the only thing that is troubling you."

Castle looked at Patterson, and then joked, "Are you psychic now?"

"No. Just reading you...like a book."

"Is it that obvious?" Castle asked.

"Yes." The two other writers said in unison.

"What's a matter, Rick, writers block getting you down?" Patterson asked.

"More like the worst writers block ever. I can't even come up with a good solid idea. The only thing I have written so far for my third Nikki Heat book is 'chapter one.'"

Both the writers cringed, knowing the feeling.

"You know, maybe you said all the things you could for Nikki Heat," Cannell suggested. "Naked Heat ended good, maybe you should just leave it at that."

Patterson nodded his head in agreement. "If you are stuck this bad, maybe you need a change of scenery."

"Change?"

"Write something different."

"I did. Nikki Heat was my different."

"Because you killed off Derek Storm," Cannell said.

"I had both the Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club simultaneously," Patterson added.

"Look, you've done everything you can to write Nikki Heat. You found a Detective to shadow and gain inspiration from, and now you used it up," Cannell said. "It happens to all of us."

"Stephen's right, Rick. This is not necessarily a bad thing. You've gained all you could from Kate Beckett, and like all working relationships, it's time to move on."

"To what?" Castle asked, swallowing the gulp in his throat.

"Romance?" Cannell joked and Patterson laughed. "Just think about it."

To be honest with himself, Castle had thought about it. He had thought about it in those months when he couldn't write a damn thing, but the thought of losing his working relationship with Beckett had terrified him even more then never writing a book again. He cherished his relationship, if he could call it that, with Beckett, and he didn't want it to be over.

"All in," Cannell said, throwing his chips in the centre of the table. Castle looked at the table and at the cards, knowing his hand would win.

"Fold," Castle said, not in the mood to play anymore. What Patterson and Cannell said was ringing true, and a part of him knew, to be true to his craft, that he needed to separate himself from Beckett and the people at the 12th Precinct, if only for a little while, until he started writing again. But another part of him knew that he didn't want to leave, that he enjoyed everyones hospitality and friendship at the Precinct, and most importantly, he wasn't ready to leave Beckett again.

He could almost hear his mother's voice in his ear saying, '_All good things come to an end, darling. It's the fact of life._'


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

CAPTAIN Montgomery was not happy. In fact, he was pretty pissed off, and it showed in his facial expression as he made his way into the centre of the fourth floor Bullpen that next afternoon.

Esposito was the first one to see him, and he immediately stopped what he was doing, knowing that whatever Captain Montgomery was going to say wasn't going to be good.

"I need a progress report," The Captain said, stopping right in front of the whiteboard. Ryan turned in his chair, while Beckett made her way over to the Captain, and Castle who had come from the break room with an espresso in his hand, leaned against Esposito's desk.

"We ran the employee list on the Victor Shawn case," Ryan began. "Everyone alibis out, even those with criminal records."

"What about the Cassandra Owen's case?" The Captain turned to face Beckett.

"So far no leads. All we know from her family was that she went out for a run," Beckett answered.

"So basically you all hit a dead end on both cases?" The silence that fell over the Bullpen confirmed Montgomery's question. "Well let's just hope you four have better luck on this case." He handed Beckett a post-it note with an address on it.

"This case?" Castle asked for everyone in the room. "There's been another murder?"

"Just got called in five minutes ago. CSU is already there. Since your other two murder investigations went cold, I'm sticking you guys on this one."

Beckett hated when the Captain said a case went cold, as it somehow made it official that the killer was close to getting away with murder. However, what disturbed her more then these two cases becoming cold ones, was the fact that there was another murder, and as she looked at her guys, they too had the same look on their faces as she did hers. Three murders in three days - something is not right.

The four of them wasted no time in getting their things, as Beckett told Esposito the address so he could write it down and meet them there. The address was a docking area for large commercial boats that imported and exported goods.

Esposito and Ryan were the first to leave the parking garage, followed closely by Beckett and Castle. New York traffic in the afternoon wasn't so bad, and neither detectives had to resort to using their police lights and sirens to arrive at the scene faster, however, it really didn't matter how long it took them to get to the crime scene. It wasn't like the body was going anywhere.

They had both pulled their Crown Victoria cars into the docking area. The scene was already taped off, and because of the location, there really wasn't a crowd of pedestrians wanting to take a look, just the odd docking employee who would stop and stare before moving on.

The four of them crossed the yellow tape together and made their way over to Lanie who was crouched by the body. Beckett turned over to look at Ryan, who just nodded his head and made his way over to the responding officer to get the details. Castle had always thought it was cool how they all knew what each other was saying by just a simply unspoken gesture.

"Two months and there are no murders, and now everyday I'm called out to examine a body," Lanie said as her way of greeting her friends.

"We feel for you," Castle said, which caused her to look up at him. When she moved, Castle was able to take a good look at the victim. She was a woman of Asian decent, maybe in her early thirties. She was dressed nicely, as if she had just left work-clothes.

"Her name is Layla Woo," Lanie said, and then handed Esposito the victims wallet. "Found it in her purse." The purse was laying beside the victim, and when Esposito opened the wallet, and cash was still in it, they all knew this wasn't a robbery.

"What is her cause of death?" Beckett asked, and Lanie opened the victims mouth. She had asphyxiated on her own vomit.

"That's not all," Lanie said, as she rolled the victim onto her back. She lifted up the woman's shirt; there were bruises and cuts all over her back.

"She was tortured," Esposito said in a whisper, and Lanie nodded as if to say, 'looks like.'

"Do you know the time of death?" Beckett asked.

"Rigor's passed, so I'd say anywhere from 3:00am to 6:00am yesterday." Lanie got up from the ground, having completed the preliminary autopsy.

Esposito, who was still looking through Ms. Woo's wallet said, "No emergency contact information, but there is an address." He turned to face Ryan who had just rejoined them, and he gave his partner the 'I'll-fill-you-in-later' look.

"Dock worker that found her was unloading a shipment when he saw her after 12:30pm. Said she doesn't work here and none of his colleagues have ever seen her before either."

"I'll get a rush on this for you," Lanie said, waving goodbye to everyone before she left.

Beckett surveyed the area and noticed the security cameras. Whoever dumped the body would be on those tapes.

"Esposito and Ryan, gather the security tapes, see if you can spot the person who dumped her," Beckett began with authority in her voice that garnered other people's respect. "Castle - road trip."

* * *

THE address on Layla's drivers license was to an apartment complex located above a convenience store. Although Layla knew how to drive, the DMV records Beckett pulled up on the computer in her Crown Victoria police car stated that she did not own a car, which wasn't uncommon in New York.

When Beckett and Castle arrived at the complex, they spoke to the landlord, an older woman in her sixties, named Patricia. Beckett had to almost call for an ambulance when Patricia suddenly went a deathly shade of white, and almost fell to the ground after hearing what happened to Layla, but both Castle and Beckett had grabbed her just in time, and led her into her apartment. Once she had a glass of water and calmed down slightly, she was more then willing to assist the police.

"I just can't believe it," Patricia said, wiping the tears from her eyes, as she led Castle and Beckett to Layla's apartment. "I've known her since she was a baby."

"We're sorry for your loss," Beckett said again. "Did Layla have any family?"

Patricia shook her head. "No. It was just her and her mother. They came to America when Layla was three, and have been living here ever since. Her mother died almost six years ago, had a stroke, it was very sudden and very saddening. Me and my husband, Earl, took a liking to the Woo's, one of the better tenants we've had, and since they didn't have anybody we had them over for Thanksgiving and Christmases...they became family..." A small sob escaped.

"Do you know if Layla had any enemies?" Castle asked gently.

"Had a boyfriend, Gary...or was it Garrett? It was Garrett...something...Richards! Garrett Richards, that's him. Met him a couple of times. I thought everything was going good, she was happy, and then the relationship went bad - got physical more than once. He threatened to kill her if she ever left him."

"What happened?" Beckett prodded.

"She got a restraining order on that son of a bitch and dumped his sorry ass," Patricia said, and her hands clenched in a fist as if she wished she could hurt Garrett Richards herself. But her anger quickly passed. "After she got the restraining order, that was the last we've seen of him." Beckett wrote down the name for later. "She hasn't been in a relationship since. Said she was enjoying being single for a while."

Patricia opened the door to Woo's apartment. It was kept very tidy, and there really wasn't much inside it other then two beds, two stools for the kitchen counter, a small kitchen table and a sofa plus love seat and a television. There was a desk by the window with a Mac laptop sitting closed on top. In a way, the setup of this apartment had reminded Beckett of her own apartment.

Beckett made her way over to the desk, and opened up Layla's day planner. She had her work schedule planned out for the week for the Bank of America where Layla worked as a bank teller. Aside from getting the occasional coffee or drinks with her friends, Layla had lived a very bubbled and safe life that focused on work - another thing that reminded Beckett of herself.

Her cellphone started to ring, and she took it out of her coat pocket.

"Beckett," She said, once the phone was to her ear.

"Yo." It was Esposito on the other line.

"Got anything?" She asked, and Castle, who was looking through Layla's pantry, turned around.

"Good news and bad news. Good news is there is footage of a male dumping Layla's body. Bad news is, he is covered. We can't see his face once."

Beckett sighed inwardly. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, her ETD changes. He dumped her at 5:50am. He is also tall, maybe 6'3, and has a large build. Can't really tell his age from behind, but could be anywhere from late twenties to early forties, depending if he keeps in shape."

"Just hand the video over to the lab techs, see if they can find anything," Beckett said, before hanging up. She doubted they would, but at least they exhausted all resources.

"So? Anything?" Castle asked, wanting to get the scoop.

"They found footage of someone dumping the body," Beckett said. "Esposito can't be sure, but he said he appears to be 6'3, muscular, and his age can span over twenty years from behind."

Patricia, who was standing in and out of the front doorway asked, "Did you say the guy was really tall and had muscles?"

Beckett turned to face Patricia. "Yeah, why?"

"Because Garrett was 6 feet something, and he was constantly working out in the gym."

Castle and Beckett exchanged a quick glance at each other before Beckett took out her cell phone again and had patrol pick up Garrett Richards for questioning.


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

GARRETT Richards sat with his arms crossed over his chest, looking anything but amused. Just as Patricia had explained, he was tall and very muscular, however is face and body was covered in acne. Castle had no doubt that Garrett abused steroids.

Garrett's rap sheet indicated that he was thirty years old, the same age as Layla, and his records indicated he was arrested once for physically hurting Layla, which corroborated Patricia's story about there being a domestic issue, however no charges were formally laid, and he was free to go.

Beckett stepped into the interrogation room by herself, only holding a folder, and calmly walked over to the desk and took a seat opposite of Richards, the whole time never breaking eye contact with him.

"Do you know why you are here, Mr. Richards?" She asked.

"Cops say I'm wanted for questioning about my stupid bitch of an ex-girlfriend, Layla."

"Sounds like you have some anger issues regarding her," Beckett commented.

"You damn right I have anger issues. Crazy bitch got a restraining order on me!"

"You assaulted her," Beckett reminded, opening his rap sheet again, and pointing at the charge.

"I remember," He said arrogantly. "But she dropped the charges, and then has the nerve to break up with me. What's this about anyway?"

Beckett answered. "Layla was found dead this afternoon. She was murdered."

"Layla's dead?" He asked, and then quickly said, "I never killed that bitch."

"Why don't I believe you?" Beckett asked, and she leaned back in her chair.

"Cause all you women are the same - look, lady, I never even seen her for like a year, okay?"

"Where were you from midnight to eight this morning?"

"I was out clubbing until one, and then I came home around 2:00, and I went to bed. At eight, I was still sleeping."

"Can anyone verify that?"

" My credit card bill will show I was buying drinks all night," Garrett began.

"And after?"

"Lady, you know as well as I do that no one but God saw me sleeping."

Beckett tapped her hand on the metal desk, hoping the awkward silence between the two, and her intimidating stare, would make him talk.

"If I'm in trouble, I want a lawyer."

Beckett sighed, knowing she couldn't question him anymore without violating his rights, however, that didn't stop her from slowly gathering her things and looking coldly at Garrett, who quickly diverted his attention elsewhere. If there was one thing Beckett was good at, it was making people very uncomfortable in interrogations.

When she exited out of the interrogation room and made her way into what Ryan liked to call the 'Bleachers', she noticed Esposito and Ryan were gone, leaving only Castle behind.

"Where'd they go?" Beckett asked.

"Went to get a head start on checking out his alibi," Castle answered. "Prove he was lying."

"He did sound like he had a grudge against Layla," Beckett commented.

"Sounds like he has a grudge against women in general," Castle corrected. "It's like they are objects to him." Castle paused. "And it's not like he'll be able to get a woman anytime soon, I mean, doesn't he know what steroids do to a person?"

Beckett glanced over at Castle who was shuddering at the thought, and she held in her laughter. Leave it to Castle to make a joke out of every situation.

Esposito and Ryan returned to the 'Bleachers,' Richards' credit card statement in hand.

"And?" Beckett and Castle said in unison.

"First part of his alibi checks out. Racked up 200 dollars worth of drinks," Esposito said. "All time stamped from the hours he was there, like he said."

"200 - what?" Castle said in disbelief. "How do you rack up a 200 dollar bar tab?"

"Buying drinks for everyone, and the expensive stuff too," Ryan said. "His credit card bill also had him paying for a taxi."

"Do you know where the taxi took him?" Beckett asked. She started to think about Garrett premeditating the murder and making his own alibi up.

"No. But we do have the company and the car number on the Visa statement. Shouldn't be hard to track the driver down from that."

Beckett nodded her head in thanks as Esposito handed her over the statement. She turned to look at Castle, who was more then ready to go on another road trip.

* * *

BECKETT and Castle arrived at the Taxi Company, and after speaking with the manager; they were directed to speak to 'Vinny,' who was drinking a coffee by his car.

Vinny was wearing a brown jacket with a Hawaiian shirt underneath, and as Beckett and Castle got closer, they noticed headphones in his ears, and he was swaying to the music he was listening to.

"Vinny?" Detective Beckett said as she showed him her badge. He quickly plucked the headphones out of his ears, fumbling to turn his Mp3 player off, while setting his coffee on top of his car.

"Detective, how are the NYPD today," Vinny said in a friendly voice.

"I have a couple of questions for you, if you don't mind," She answered and he shook his head. He turned to face Castle.

"You look familiar."

"I'm a writer," Castle answered. "Derek Storm series...Nikki Heat."

Vinny snapped his fingers. "My daughters love your books." He turned toward Beckett again. "Sorry, what did you want to ask me?"

Beckett showed him a picture of Garrett Richards. "Do you remember where you dropped this man off last night?"

Vinny took a quick look at the picture, nodding his head. "Yeah, yeah. I dropped him off at his house. Couldn't even tell me the address - had to look at his drivers license for it. He was completely wasted. Threw up in my car, too."

"What time was that?" Castle asked.

"Around two. I made sure he got inside okay, and then I left."

Both Beckett and Castle thanked Vinny for his time, and once they were a good distance away from him, they both let out a collective sigh. Garrett Richards was not their suspect.

"Captain isn't going to be too happy about this," Castle commented once they were back at Beckett's car.

"I know," Beckett answered, opening the door and getting into the driver's seat. Considering Richards was their only lead on this case, frustration started to creep through her body.

Castle could tell Beckett was getting agitated, and the white knuckles that were gripping the steering wheel a little too hard was the first tell. He couldn't blame her, obviously. He knew all to well what it was like to be frustrated and agitated at the same time. In fact, he was experiencing his own work problem, but instead of three active and now cold homicide cases, his dilemma was trying to find the words to start off his third Nikki Heat book.

"Well, you know what they say," Castle said, breaking the silence that had taken over the parked car. "Nothing worth doing is ever easy." Beckett had only given him a look. "You're right. That's a stupid cliché."

"This isn't really your problem, Castle. You're not a cop."

"A point you remind me everyday," Castle said with a smile. He made fun of her police reports and how boring they were, and she reminded him that he wasn't a cop; it was the perfect working relationship.

"I didn't mean it like that," Beckett said. "You've helped. A lot. Its just at the end of the day"-

"Your butt is the one on the line. I get it, really, and I completely understand." This caused Beckett to look at him again, and before he knew it, he had told her that he was experiencing a major writers block, and that he was having trouble writing the third Nikki Heat book. He even told her that Gina, and some of his friends, had suggested taking a break and focus on something else.

Silence filled the car again, but only for a moment.

"Are you?" Beckett asked.

"Am I what?"

"Leaving." She tried to hide the hurt, and the pause, in her voice as best she could, and when it came to Castle, she hid her true feelings pretty damn well.

"Don't get too excited," Castle joked, knowing full well Beckett had been against this partnership from the start. They had spent the summer, a whole three months, apart, and that had helped him finish his last book, so he was considering it, and from the look on his face, Beckett knew he was thinking about it.

"How long?"

"I don't know, maybe a couple of months. I may even take up that offer to write the name-we-shall-not-speak-of book I got offered to do awhile back."

Beckett just smiled. "Esposito and Ryan will miss you."

Castle laughed. "It's not like I'm going out of town again, I will be, just for awhile, not working cases with you guys. I'll still keep in touch and kick all your butts in poker. And, as you said, I'm not a cop; I'm a writer. What kind of writer would I be if I weren't writing?" Beckett didn't have time to answer before Castle said, "Wow. That was a mouthful."

There was a moment of silence, before Castle, in all seriousness asked, "You're not mad, are you?"

"No of course not," Beckett said, almost too fast. And that was the truth, she wasn't mad. She was...sad. She didn't want the summer of '10 to happen again.

"Will you miss me?" Castle asked. Beckett couldn't give him an answer, so instead she just turned on the car, heading back to the Precinct.


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

THE two of them arrived back at the Precinct forty-five minutes later, Castle rubbing his back, because Beckett had hit a pot hole on the drive to the precinct, making the spring in the passenger seat car dig into his back. Esposito and Ryan were waiting for them, hoping that out of the three open murder cases, at least one of them would have a lead.

"And? Did you learn anything?" Ryan asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah," Castle said. "Beckett needs a new car. I'm thinking a Ferrari, like the ones they have in Italy, or maybe have you guys drive what I drive, a Porsche Cayenne."

Esposito practically fell off his chair. "I'm down."

"Unfortunately, that's completely out of our budget," Captain Montgomery said, coming into the Bullpen from his office. "And I think when Detective Ryan asked if you two learnt anything, it was about the case."

"Dead end," Beckett replied, and the frustrated sighs from her two male detectives had summed her feelings completely. Even Montgomery was beginning to feel the burn on these cases.

"I was afraid this was going to happen," Montgomery said, and by the look on his face, there was something else - something more that he needed to tell the four of them. "I just got off the phone with the police Commissioner. He wants me to assign these cases to different homicide detectives, see if they can find something you four missed."

"Captain," Beckett said, suddenly sounding very defensive. "We didn't miss anything. We have gone over every piece of evidence, and leads are coming."

"I know, Detective, but it's out of my hands. Unless you four can find something by tomorrow morning, I have to assign this case to someone else."

Beckett almost laughed at the irony. First Castle was thinking about leaving, and now she couldn't even keep a homicide case. She tried not to let her anger show. The police Commissioner had an axe to pick with her since she punched his nephew, Detective McKenna, in the face for stepping out of line. That incident earned her a sanction in her file, but it could have been much worse. She had a feeling McKenna was putting doubts in his uncle's mind about her ability to solve a homicide case, ever since she was stabbed by a murder suspect.

"We won't find anything by tomorrow morning," Ryan said, breaking the silence. "Even if we worked all night."

Captain Montgomery knew this. "And, like I said, my hands are tied."

Beckett made her way over to the murder board. She had until the morning to find something, and she wasn't going to waste any time.

Before Captain Montgomery made his way back into his office, he said, "Oh, and another thing. Come five, you three are all off the clock. The Commissioner is not liking the amount of overtime hours you three have accumulated."

"Got gotta be friggen kidding me," Beckett said, exasperated, as she threw the black marker roughly back down on the board. Ryan and Esposito had similar reactions to Beckett's. "Captain."

"Sorry," Montgomery said to all of them, and then disappeared back into his office.

And just as if their day couldn't get any worse, McKenna and his partner, Johnson, made their way into the bullpen.

"Hello Roach, Castle, and Katherine. I hear you four might be in jeopardy of losing your cases come tomorrow morning." McKenna and his partner shared a laugh.

"We still have until the morning," Esposito reminded.

"According to my uncle, you don't. Overtime is a blessing, and a curse," McKenna said, making his way closer to the four of them. "In a strange twist, it seems like the four of you are all in a rut, right Castle? I heard from a credible source that you have a writers block and are thinking about leaving."

Esposito and Ryan looked at Castle, and in unison they both said, "You're leaving?"

"I haven't officially decided yet," Castle said. "And who is your credible source, because Perez Hilton doesn't count."

"Leave Castle alone," Beckett said, crossing her arms and looking directly at McKenna and Johnson. "Whatever he decides is his decision, and none of your business."

If there was one way to describe McKenna and Beckett's working relationship it was hate-hate, which had made Castle wonder if there was, a long time ago, something between the two detectives that made them turn bitter toward each other. However, to his relief, Esposito had explained there was nothing romantic that happened between the two of them. Beckett just excelled at her job, and had accomplished more in four months of being a detective then McKenna accomplished in a year. She had left him in the dust, and he resented her for that.

"Tables are going to turn, Katherine, and I'll be back to being the number one detective, so you, and your writer friend and Roach better get used to that."

Beckett watched as McKenna and Johnson left the Bullpen again. There was no way she could lose these cases to them. However, it was almost five, and soon the four of them would be told to go home.

* * *

WHEN Castle arrived home, he was alone. His mother was off teaching another set of students in a drama class, and Alexis was over at Ashley's house, studying for a Biology exam. The quiet of the home allowed Castle to think. After the events that happened in the Bullpen today, with the Captain saying they could lose the case, and only to have McKenna and Johnson rub it in, he was wondering if his presence had caused his friends more harm then good. He was honestly thinking about taking another break from them, and he was going to tell them by the end of this week what his future plans were anyway, but just before he was about to go home, Beckett had stopped him.

Beckett. The detective who constantly reminded him of how much of a pain in the ass he was, stopped him to talk. She had asked him if she was the source of his writers' block, and even though he rigorously denied that accusation, she had said that regardless, she would support any decision he made regarding the future of this partnership, and that he shouldn't feel pressured to stay or leave on her account. But there was something she said, just as they were entering their separate cars, that kept ringing in his ears since, making him doubt what his friends and Gina have been telling him to do.

"_I never had a partner before. I got so used to working by myself that when you came into the picture, I felt threatened - like things were going to be different; difficult. I had forgotten what it was like to have someone look out for me, so I want you to know...thank you for that. Even if you were writing a book on Esposito, I'd still want you, in a selfish way, to be my partner."_

Castle smiled to himself, as he headed into his office, oddly enough, feeling inspired to write.

* * *

BECKETT had been enjoying the quiet of her apartment with a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine. There wasn't much more, despite the protests to herself, she could do. Even if she took unpaid overtime, she would never find anything strong enough. A part of her hated herself, feeling as if she was giving up, but the other part, the rational part, was arguing that only working harder and finding nothing in time, and still watch all the work she had done be handed over to McKenna and his goon, would had only made her more upset - and tonight, the rational part of her mind had won.

She was about to take another sip of wine when she got a text message from Lanie that read '911,' which was a code they used if something urgent had come up. Beckett decided her pasta and wine would have to wait as she hurriedly covered the left overs and threw it in the fridge, before she grabbed her keys and jacket and headed out the door.

She debated whether or not to call Castle, and decided against it. After all, he had told her he was going home to relax, and down a fifth of scotch, and there was no reason for his evening plans to be ruined, and it wasn't like she was heading to a crime scene either. If what Lanie had to say was crucial, she would debrief Castle, as well as Esposito and Ryan in the morning.

The rush hour traffic had slowed her commute time considerably. What usually would have taken her under thirty minutes to arrive at the City Morgue, ended up taken her the better part of the hour.

"I'm here," Beckett said, nearly out of breath, bursting through the morgue doors. Lanie smiled.

"About time. I was just about to phone you and see if you got my message."

"In all fairness, I wasn't coming from the Precinct."

"You weren't?" Lanie asked, and Beckett just shook her head. "You're telling me that you were actually at home?" Beckett nodded her head, as Lanie put her hands on her hips.

Beckett felt the need to explain. "It wasn't by choice. The Police Commissioner spoke to the Captain. Not only has my team been taking too much overtime, but also if we don't find any new leads on at least one of the three open murders, they are all going over to McKenna, Johnson and their team. So please tell me you have something, so I can at least keep one of our murder cases?"

"Next time I see McKenna, I'ma smack him for you. But, now knowing this, the reason why I called you over here ASAP, is that now you may not have to give up any of the cases at all."

Beckett titled her head, confused.

"Apparently, one of the lab assistants miss-filed both Mr. Shawn's and Ms. Owen's tox reports, once she realized her error, she gave them to me." Beckett nodded her head, following along. "Both Shawn and Owen had traces of Etorphine, also known as M99."

"M99, isn't that an animal tranquilizer?"

Lanie nodded her head.

"You think they are connected?" Beckett asked.

"Well, here's where it gets interesting. Out of curiosity, I asked the tox department to rush Woo's reports. She too has traces of Etorphine, and since this drug isn't easy to get access too, I would say that whoever you are looking for is responsible for all these murders, and probably is a veterinarian."

Beckett thanked Lanie, and as she headed out the door, she pulled out her cellphone to call the Captain. On the plus side, she wouldn't be handing any of these cases over to McKenna, but on the negative side, the one that had bothered her more then McKenna and his smug looks, was that now there was a serial killer on the loose, who could strike again at any moment.


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

THE elevator doors were just about to close, when Castle heard Esposito yell, 'Yo,' and he quickly put the newspaper he was holding under his arm between the space of the closing door, making the elevator doors jar open again.

"Thanks, Castle," Esposito said as he, and Ryan entered the elevator from the parking garage. Castle just nodded his head, knowing that today wasn't going to be a good day at work for either of them, especially Beckett, when she would have to turn her cases over to McKenna.

"So, how pissed do you think Beckett is going to be?" Ryan asked, exchanging looks between his friends.

"On a scale from one to very?" Esposito asked. Out of all of them, he had worked with Beckett the longest, and knew how attached she got to murder cases, wanting to see them close, so no one would have to live with the burden she did without knowing who had hired Coonan to kill her mother.

The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor, and as soon as Castle stepped off, he could see Beckett's coat lying on her seat. He figured she was in the Captain's office, begging for more time. If there was one thing Beckett wasn't, it was a quitter. She would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

He was about to make his way over to Beckett's desk, when the door to the break room opened, and Beckett stepped out with a coffee in her hand. She had just taken a sip, when she noticed her boys had arrived.

"Beckett," Castle said, surprised to see her coming from the break room, not looking anything like he had imagined. _'Could Esposito have been wrong about her being angry?'_ He thought.

Beckett smiled back at Castle. "You guys are just in time." She ignored the confused glances the three men exchanged with each other, and faced the opposite side of the room, where McKenna and Johnson were beginning to make their way toward the four of them.

"You're awfully in a good mood, considering we are about to hand our cases over to dumb and dumber," Esposito said, once he and Ryan had joined Beckett and Castle.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Beckett?" Ryan added, asking the question the three men all had on their minds once they noticed Beckett's rather unusual calm manner.

"You're not planning on punching McKenna again, are you?" Castle whispered in her ear.

Beckett didn't answer any of their questions, and instead waited until McKenna was standing inches away from her face.

"Hello, Katherine," McKenna said. "Great day today, isn't it? There's something different about the New York air when the city knows murder cases are about to be solved."

Castle couldn't help himself, and accidentally blurted out, "Ha!" Before receiving glances from everyone around him.

"Out of respect, I thought I'd make this transition easier on you. Hand over all the files on all the cases, and we will be out of your hair in no time."

Beckett slowly started to nod her head, as if she was complying with McKenna's request, and after a moment of silence, she said, "No."

"What?" McKenna said, sounding a little shocked. "I don't think I heard you."

"I said, no. N-O. No."

"See," McKenna started, semi-laughing. "That's what I thought I heard. But, incase something happened to your head from last night to this morning, the Captain clearly stated that the case was ours."

"I remember," Beckett said.

"Good. Then hand the files over."

"On condition that we didn't find any piece of new evidence."

"Exactly," McKenna stressed.

"On. Condition," Beckett repeated, this time more slowly.

McKenna laughed, and then said, "There is no way you found new evidence. And even if you did, there is no way you could have found it for three separate cases."

Beckett smiled a chilling smile, one that Castle had not seen before; one that had made him feel slightly uneasy; one that wasn't Beckett's smile at all.

"Who said they were separate?"

Esposito, Ryan, and Castle exchanged looks. Beckett had failed to clue them in on this new piece of evidence.

"By the looks on your friends faces, I think you're bluffing," Johnson said, to which McKenna agreed by nodding his head.

"Nice try, Katherine."

"I'm afraid she isn't bluffing," Came Captain Montgomery's voice, as he stepped out of his office. "Detective Beckett found crucial piece of evidence. The three murder cases stay with her and her team."

"This is a fucking joke," McKenna said, his anger showing.

"Language," Castle reminded, only to have McKenna give him the death stare.

Montgomery ignored McKenna, and turned to Beckett. "Another body was found. Can't be sure they connect, but you will work it, for now, as if it does. If there is no evidence suggesting it links, to the others, you hand it over to Detectives McKenna and Johnson."

"Got it, Captain," Beckett said, taking the post-it note with the address of the crime scene on it."

"McKenna, Johnson, don't you two have work to do?" The Captain asked, as he headed back to his office. McKenna looked at Beckett one more time, before he stormed off angrily, leaving the four of them standing in the bullpen.

"I'm confused," Ryan said.

"I'll fill you in on the way to the cars," Beckett responded.

* * *

"WHY didn't you call me?" Castle suddenly asked, after a long ride of silence in the car.

"I didn't want to bother you," Beckett responded. "And besides, I thought you were at home 'drowning' a fifth of scotch."

Castle let out a small laugh, remembering that was his original plan. "I guess if I was drunk, it would have defeated the purpose of telling me."

"Kind of," Beckett said, reciprocating the smile Castle had.

"For the record though, in case you start to think I'm an alcoholic or something, I was not drinking."

Beckett let out her own laugh, and then turned the car down a narrow stretch of dirt road. She recognized Lanie's medical examiner van, and the crime scene was already cordoned off.

She parked her car behind the van, like she always did if there was space, and for a brief moment, before she got out of her car, she observed the scene. It was a little bit outside the city, and the land looked as if it had been farm land at one point, but now abandoned and secluded. There were copious amounts of large bushes placed throughout, and not far from the crime scene was a heavily wooded area. In a way, if done right, this place would be a perfect place to hide and burry a body without anyone finding it.

The two of them got out of the car at the same time, and they walked underneath the yellow tape. Lanie, along with Esposito and Ryan (who had beaten them to the crime scene again), were standing over the body.

The victim was a male, Caucasian. Probably in his late twenties. He was dressed casually, as if out on a date. His clothes were bloody, and a single shot in the middle of his forehead - execution style - appeared to be his cause of death.

"Any I.D?" Beckett asked first.

"Jackson Burke," Ryan answered, showing Beckett and Castle his driver's license. "28. Intern at Mercy."

Beckett turned to Lanie, and then asked, "C.O.D?"

"Looks like a gun shot wound to his head. I'll know more when I do the official autopsy."

"Think this one is connected to the others?" Beckett said, to which Lanie shrugged.

"Won't be able to tell unless we get the tox back," Lanie replied.

"Anything else you can tell us now?" Esposito asked.

"Poor kid was tortured. He has various burn marks on his torso. Eighteen of them."

At first, Castle just nodded his head with the others, a habit he had picked up watching cops intake information, but then he stopped, and quickly looked up at Lanie. "I'm sorry, how much did you say?"

"I counted eighteen burn marks," Lanie repeated.

Ryan looked over at Castle and asked, "Something odd?"

"More like even." This caused everyone to look at him. "Besides the first three being M99'd, what did they all have in common?"

"Eighteen marks on their bodies..." Beckett said, realizing what Castle was getting at.

"Victor Shawn, the first victim, had eighteen small pin pricks on his arm that Lanie magnified because she thought it was strange," Castle said.

"And our next vic, Cassandra Owens, was stabbed eighteen times," Esposito added.

"Wait - our second last vic, Layla Woo, she choked on her own vomit, and was M99'd, but there wasn't eighteen distinct marks on her," Ryan said.

"Actually," Lanie began. "You four have been busy, you haven't had a chance to come down to the morgue. Those torture lesions on her body, there was exactly eighteen deep slices."

"This whole time the connection was staring right in front of us, and we missed it," Beckett said, having a moment of doubt cross her mind. '_Would McKenna and Johnson had put two-and-two together before us?' _She thought.

Castle saw the look in Beckett's eyes. "Don't cut yourself up over this. It doesn't fit the profile of a serial killer. The victims are completely random from gender, to race, to age, and no two are killed the same."

"Castle's right, Beckett," Esposito added. "Not even criminal psychologists would say we have a serial on the loose."

"I'ma take the body back now," Lanie started to say. "Rush to the tox. You guys will know within the hour. I'll also send up a picture of the burn marks,"

"Thanks Lanie," Ryan said.

"We should head back to the precinct," Beckett added, getting out of her disappointment with herself, and going straight back to business. "See if those eighteen marks have a pattern to them."

* * *

A pizza, and numerous amounts of coffee later, the four of them still couldn't see the connection, or the significance of those eighteen markings. Lanie had phoned about two hours ago, confirming that Jackson had indeed been drugged with an M99, and she also said that his time of death was somewhere between 3:00 to 6:00 am.

"We've been staring at these pictures for over an hour," Esposito said. "Maybe there is no significance."

"There has to be," Beckett said, getting up from her chair and moving closer to the white board to demonstrate her point. "These markings are all specific, as if they were planned out. They aren't just random markings."

"Do you know how many symbols there are in this world? We may never find out it's true meaning," Castle said. "At least not before he/she kills again."

"Agreeing with Castle on this one. Maybe the killer has a mental disorder, or maybe that's his signature. Random dots," Ryan added.

"But it's not random - that's what I am trying to tell you guys. This guy wants us to play. He's placed bodies in open places where people would find them, and he is sending us a message. Does that sound random to you? I don't care if I'm playing connect the dots for the rest of my life, I am going to find this meaning." Beckett quickly turned her back to the guys, staring at the board. A quick silence fell over the Bullpen.

"That's it," Castle suddenly said. "Connect the dots. Hand me a picture, will you?"

Ryan took Cassandra's picture off the board and handed it to Castle, as the three of them watched him lean back in his chair, holding the picture up high as if he were looking at the sky. A small smile appeared on his face, and then he quickly fixed himself up, grabbing a marker off the desk and connected the dots. When he was done, she showed it to the three detectives.

"Look familiar to any of you?" Castle asked.

"Well, I'll be a son of a whore," Esposito whispered.

Beckett was right. The killer was sending them a message. Looking straight back at the detectives was the constellation markings of Orion.


	12. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

CSU had confirmed that the markings on all the victims' bodies closely resembled the Orion constellation marks, and this had put all the homicide task detectives on alert, especially Captain Montgomery who called in an emergency briefing.

"This isn't good, people," Captain Montgomery began, standing in front of the white board. "We have a serial killer on the loose who can strike at any moment."

Beckett didn't need the verbal confirmation from Captain Montgomery to know they had a serious problem, but considering what happened to the last serial killer they encountered, Jerry Tyson, also known as the 3XK Killer, who had manipulated the Justice System and got away to kill again, she understood why tensions ran high.

"We need to find this son of a bitch now," Montgomery continued. "This case is everyone's main priority. Detectives Beckett, Esposito, and Ryan are the leads on this case, so any information you obtain must be brought to them. Any information you think is connected to this case must be brought to the lead detectives and then investigated. Am I clear?"

The cops and other detectives in the room all let out a collective yes, except for McKenna, who just snorted.

"Is there a problem, Detective?" Montgomery asked, looking at McKenna.

"Yeah. I don't see why those three should be the leads, considering this information was staring right at them this whole time. They should have clued in on the second victim about the eighteen marks and the use of the M99. Bad detective work on their parts led to the deaths of Ms. Woo and Mr. Burke."

Beckett felt her stomach drop, part of her knowing that was true, and another part knowing that if Castle wasn't here, they probably would have never made the Orion constellation connections.

"I made a call to my uncle," McKenna continued. "He seems to agree with me. You'll be receiving a message shortly making sure that Johnson and I, along with my team, will be taking the lead on this case. After all, we can't afford another civilian casualty."

"Wow, McKenna, I'm impressed. That last bit almost sounded sincere," Castle said, before realizing what he had just said.

"And another thing," McKenna said, as he turned toward Castle. "I got him to take you off this case. Once it's solved, you can come back, but for now, he also agreed that only police officials will be working this case."

Castle turned to look at the Captain, who had the same dumbfounded look on his face, that Castle had.

"If you don't believe me, you can phone him yourself," McKenna added, while taking his cell phone out of his holster and extending his arm.

The Captain excused himself for a moment, and headed into his office. While he was gone, the Bullpen was quiet, as McKenna and Johnson smiled wickedly at Beckett and the others. By the time the Captain came back, he had a sullen look on his face.

"I'm sorry," He said, addressing Beckett, Castle, Esposito and Ryan.

"This is bullshit," Esposito said angrily. "Captain, we got to work on this case again fair and square."

"I know, but I don't have a say in this. The Commissioner agrees with McKenna."

Esposito clenched his fists.

"You look angry, Javier. Why don't you get some air," McKenna mocked.

"I'll show you air," Esposito said, but Ryan intervened.

"Come on man, let's go outside."

"Ryan, take your writer friend with you. He's not welcome here either," Johnson added.

Beckett looked at Castle, hating this situation. But Castle, being who he was, put his hands up in surrender, while saying, "I'm going. I'm going."

Beckett watched as her three guys made their way to the elevator. She hated this situation. She exchanged a long look with Castle before the elevator doors closed, and by the time she turned her attention back to the bullpen floor, McKenna and Johnson were debriefing everyone on the case her team had cracked. The feeling that she wasn't a good enough detective had been quickly replaced with anger, and a passion to solve this case.

* * *

"HONEY, I'm home," Castle said jokingly to himself as he walked into his pent house condo, knowing no one would be home.

"Good. I've been waiting for you," Came a familiar female voice from the living room. Castle put down his belongings and made his into the living room. "Gina. What a surprise," He said, and then more seriously asked, "How'd you get in?"

"Your mother let me in before she left to run errands. I figured since you've been ignoring my calls, I might as well wait for you. Though, I honestly thought I would be waiting longer. Why are you home so early?"

"Conflict of interest," Castle simply responded. "Two male detectives are jealous of my ruggedly handsome good looks."

Gina laughed. "And here I thought you were going to dump them before they dumped you."

"Have you been talking to Patterson? And _they_ didn't dump me. As soon as those two idiot detectives solve this case, I'm allowed to come back."

Gina got up from the couch. "And by the way that sounds, it could take awhile. Enough time for you to write, perhaps?"

"I have been writing, thank-you-very-much," Castle said, now walking over to his fridge.

"You have? Your mother never told me that," Gina said, sounding surprised.

"It may come as a shock to you, but I don't always tell my mother everything."

"Castle, if you are going to be like this, I don't even know why I bother. There are many writers who would be more then grateful to be signed by a company like mine. And you are treating it like this job is the one that is temporary."

Castle froze, the bottle of water touching his lips.

"When are you going to realize this ride along is nothing but a game to you? Something to occupy yourself with? You're a child Castle, which is why our marriage failed. You constantly need guidance and to be told what to do and when to do it, and even then - even then, you don't."

Castle put the water bottle down. "And yet here you are. I know you'd like nothing more than to drop me. You've made that clear when you filed for divorce without telling me. But you, or rather, your company, needs me. I'm the biggest money maker you have, and you guys would take a big hit if you dropped me and I went elsewhere. So tell me, why are you really here?"

Gina crossed her arms, sighed, and then said, "The company is willing to give you an extension. You have until the end of this year to finish the third Nikki Heat book. Six months from now, they want at least half your chapters. Sound good?"

Castle nodded his head, and Gina turned her back, grabbing her coat and purse before heading toward the door.

"Don't make me look like a fool," She said, as she opened the door.

"You're wrong, you know," Castle shouted out after her, but it was too late. She had already closed the door and left. "You're wrong."

* * *

BECKETT stared at her computer screen, mindlessly playing with a pen in her hand for hours. McKenna and Johnson and left hours ago, and had taken some uniforms with them to go over every crime scene, to see if there was a connection, and she had spent the better part of her afternoon doing the same over the internet. When they arrived back, they had found exactly what she had found, which was nothing.

She looked up, and over at Esposito and Ryan. They were busy going over McKenna and Johnson's old paperwork, and once they were done they were both heading home. She then looked over at her own pile of paperwork they had also assigned her to do that, for the most part, remained untouched.

"How's the paperwork coming, Roach and Katherine?" McKenna asked, as he approached her desk.

Beckett looked at McKenna, and then at the paperwork, and then back at McKenna. "Almost done," She lied.

"And Roach?" McKenna asked, looking directly at them.

"Bite me," Esposito said.

"Is that anyway to talk to your superior?" Johnson said, and the two arrogant detectives exchanged a laugh.

Instead of saying anything, Esposito grabbed the paperwork and threw it all on the floor, even knocking over Ryan's. He then looked at Beckett. "Goodnight Beckett. I'm going home. You going home soon?"

A small smile appeared on her face. Leave it to Esposito to express what was really on his mind. "In a bit," She said.

"You're going to pay for that," McKenna said to Esposito, but he just waved them off, as he and Ryan made their way into the elevators.

"You in a rush or something?" Beckett asked as McKenna ran a hand through his hair.

"Of course I am. I have two tickets to watch the NY Rangers Play in an hour," McKenna responded, and then grabbed a Rookie cop who happened to walk by, to pick up the mess. Beckett felt sorry for the Rookie Cop and told him that she would pick it up.

The Rookie cop smiled nervously, but then left, and Beckett figured McKenna and Johnson were watching her pick up the mess just for the novelty of it.

"It's a shame, Katherine," McKenna said, licking his lips as he watched her bend down. "You're kind of hot. We could have been great together if you weren't such a bitch, and a little damaged."

Beckett shuddered at that thought, and if there was anything in her stomach, she probably would have puked. She was thankful to see them leave.

She had just finished picking up all the papers, but instead of putting them on Esposito and Ryan's desk, she walked over to McKenna and Johnson's and placed them there. If she was the lead detective on this case, knowing a serial killer was on the loose, the only time she would be going home was to sleep, not watch a hockey game. If they were the lead Detectives on this case, they should start acting like them.

She walked over to the whiteboard, sad to see her writing replaced with McKenna's, and she looked at every picture of the crime scene. They were all random places, and each place, except for the last crime scene, was populated with people. She looked over her shoulder, just to make sure no one was watching her, and she made her way back to McKenna's desk, rifling through the papers on his desk. She hadn't had time to see who made the 9-1-1 call to report the last body, and once McKenna took over, that task went to him.

'_Damn it,' _She thought, not being able to find the papers on both McKenna and Johnson's desk. '_Those bastards must have took it with them.' _But because she never gave up, she decided to check McKenna's desk drawer, which was locked. She found that strange, and then took out a bobby pin from her hair. When she was a training cop, Mike Royce, had taught her a lot of useful things, and picking locks with simple objects was one of them. At the time, she thought Royce did things very unconventionally, and little did she know just how unconventional he really was.

She smiled to herself when she heard a click and opened the drawer. The file was sitting right there and she picked it up, and began to flip through it. It read that a man had phoned in using a pay phone near-by, and beside it, in McKenna's handwriting, read no further investigation needed.

Beckett paused, trying to recall the last crime scene. _'Was there even a pay phone there?'_

* * *

PULLING up her car where the crime scene was still taped off, Beckett made a note to herself that there were no pay phones close to this crime scene, which had hit her as odd.

Grabbing her flashlight and turning it on, she got out of her car and made her way over to the tape. She had seen numerous horror movies to know that being alone in a secluded area at dark was never a good thing, but she had her gun with her, and that comforted her a little.

She decided to make her way over to the heavily wooded area, hoping that there may be a home hidden, or something that would help her put this puzzle piece together. Orion was a hunter, and if the killer was sending them a message that he too was a hunter, then she might as well check out the wooded area.

She was about halfway into the woods, when she noticed another beam of light reflecting off of hers. Slowly, she drew her gun, and tried quietly to approach whoever else was in the woods. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins as her heart beat louder and louder. When she was finally was close to the figure, she said, "NYPD, show me your hands!"

"Beckett?" Castle asked, after being startled into dropping his flashlight.

"Castle?" Beckett said, as she lowered her gun. "What are you doing here?"

Castle, with his hands still in the air, slowly turned around to face her. "Investigating."

"You can put your hands down," She said, and he quickly complied, and then went to pick up his own flashlight. "How'd you know to come here?"

"Well, don't be mad, but I actually went to all of them. I didn't want another Jerry on our hands. Did you go to all of them too?"

Beckett shook her head. "No. I picked McKenna's desk drawer and read the 9-1-1 report. The person who called it in said they used a pay phone nearby."

"There's no pay phone around here," Castle said.

"I know," Beckett added. "That's why it struck me as odd." The two of them started to make their way back out of the woods.

"Did he get any information on the caller at least?" Castle asked.

"No. Call was made anonymously. Guy told the 9-1-1 dispatcher that he found a body, was using a pay phone, gave them the address and hung up."

Castle didn't want to speculate so soon, but he wondered if the person who had called 9-1-1 was the killer.

"Was there anything else?" He asked.

"No. I was thinking about driving in the opposite direction, see if there is anything else, maybe find a pay phone."

"Could I maybe come with you?" Castle asked.

"Where's your car?" Beckett asked.

"Back at home. I had a cab drop me off."

"That must have been an odd request," Beckett half laughed, and started to walk ahead of Castle to her car.

"I said it was research for a scene I was writing for my next book. You'd be surprised at how many fans I have in this ci-"

Beckett turned around, when Castle had stopped speaking, only to see that he had dropped his flashlight and was holding his stomach. He had a worried look on his face.

"Castle? Are you okay?" Beckett asked.

"I think-I think I was-sh-ot," He said, starting to slur his words. Beckett ran over to him, and removed his hands from his stomach.

Adrenaline was now coursing through her body again."That's not a bullet, it's a tranq dart."

Castle fell to the ground, unconscious. Beckett was so wrapped up in making sure Castle was okay, that she didn't feel the other tranquilizer dart sticking out of her own neck, before it was too late; before she was consumed with darkness as well.


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

WHEN Castle started to come to, the first thing he noticed in the very dark room he was in, aside from his splitting headache, was that he couldn't move, and that he was slightly reclined. Regardless, he still tried to wiggle his hands and feet, to see what was binding him down, only to come to the conclusion that whatever it was, was strong, and possibly metal, because it felt cool on his ankles.

He slowly began to recall the events that led to his kidnapping, and his eyes widened when he remembered Beckett had been with him.

"Beckett!" He shouted, but there was no answer. He wiggled in his seat again, still calling Beckett's name. He must have done that for a good five minutes before the energy drained out of him.

_'This is not good,'_ He thought, trying to make out the room he was in. Other then a crack of light coming from what he assumed was a doorway, he still couldn't make heads or tales out of this place. He closed his eyes again, as a wave of pain coursed through his head, and he wished to God he had an aspirin, at least this way, he would be able to think, and maybe find Beckett, who was running through his mind along with the headache.

He tried moving again, when he heard a soft moan come from somewhere in the room. He stopped moving, thinking he was hearing things, but then he heard it again, this time more louder.

"Beckett?" Castle asked. There was a long silence, and he found himself biting his lip.

"Castle?" Beckett asked, and a sigh of relief washed over him. "I can't-I can't move."

"I know. We're strapped down to a chair, metal bindings too," He answered. "Are you alright?"

"My head kills, and my mouth is dry. What about you?"

"Pretty much the same." He figured Beckett was probably still a little bit out of it, because within moments, he heard her thrashing against the seat.

"It's no use," Castle said.

"Have to try, Castle. We've been kidnapped by some deranged lunatic. Odds are not looking good for us."

Castle knew that to be true. He had written this scenario a dozen of times, and the only two ways his characters ever got out of this situation was that they were either killed, or a partner knew where they were and were coming to rescue them. Since he never told his mother or Alexis where he was going, he had a funny feeling Beckett didn't either.

"Shit," She cursed, and Castle guessed Beckett had realized what he had figured long before: they weren't getting out of this.

* * *

ESPOSITO laid is coat over his chair he got himself settled in for another long day of doing McKenna and Johnson's paper work. He hated the fact that McKenna used the Police Commissioner, aka his uncle, to pull ranking over the Captain to get what he wanted. In a way, McKenna reminded Esposito of a spoiled child who didn't get what he wanted and threw a fit.

After he sat down, he turned his chair over to Beckett's desk. In all the years he had worked at the 12th Precinct, Beckett was always the first one there, even if she was ill and had a fever, she would be at work before anybody. Always. So he was a little unsettled to see that she wasn't there.

"Beckett not here?" Came Ryan's voice as he put his things on top of his own desk that was across from Esposito.

"No," Esposito said quietly, before he turned to face his partner. "That's kind of strange of her."

"Maybe she decided to take a vacation," Ryan said. "She has a lot of vacation hours, and if I had as many as she did, I would be soaking it up on a beach somewhere, instead of being McKenna's McSlave."

Esposito chuckled at his partner's true joke, but even though what Ryan said sounded plausible, and the most likely scenario, he knew Beckett all too well to know that she wouldn't be resting with a serial killer on the loose.

Ryan also realized what Esposito had, and then said, "If she doesn't come into work, we will pop by her place tonight-see if everything is okay."

The two of them started to organize their things to begin working when the elevator doors chimed, and McKenna and Johnson's hearty laugh sounded throughout the bullpen.

"Roach, how are you two doing today?" McKenna asked once he and Johnson reached their desks, and dropped a pile of paper work on it.

"I was good until you started talking to me," Esposito mumbled.

McKenna laughed, and then playfully slapped Esposito's back really hard. However, his smile didn't last long, and his face took on a more serious look as he said, "Working with you two idiots isn't exactly a walk in the park for me or Johnson either."

Esposito clenched his fist, but only for a second. He didn't want McKenna to know he was aggravating him; he didn't want to give him that satisfaction.

"You know Roach, I wasn't going to say this until your other, incompetent, female friend got here, but since I'm such a nice guy, I'll let you two bats-for-brains tell her the good news. Once I solve this case"-

"_If_ you solve this case," Ryan corrected, which caused both Johnson and McKenna to glare at him.

"As I was saying, once I solve this highly publicized murder, I'll be in the running for Captain. And since the community will realize that I can handle things better then Montgomery, and because I'll have my uncle's support, I will be a shoe in for Captain, and you know what that means, don't you?"

"More murderers on the street?" Ryan guessed.

"Wrong!" McKenna said angrily. "It means you two meat heads, along with Katherine will be out of homicide."

Esposito and Ryan quickly looked at each other before McKenna's smile returned on his face.

"You've got work to do. I suggest you earn your money while you still have a chance too," McKenna said as he and Johnson walked away from Esposito and Ryan, while laughing.

"I really, really, hate that guy," Ryan said, once they were out of earshot.

"We need to solve this murder case," Esposito said through clenched teeth. "I just had about enough of them."

* * *

"BECKETT?" Castle asked once he woke up from having dozed off. He had no idea what time or day it was, but he wanted to make sure Beckett was still okay.

"You snore," Beckett said, and even though Castle couldn't see her, there was a small smile on her face.

"Oh. Sorry," He said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to"-

"It's okay. It's kind of cute, actually."

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Define okay. We are tied up to a chair."

"Right. But on the plus side, at least our hands aren't tied behind our backs," Castle joked. He was about to say something else when the sound of static interference coursed through the room.

"I'm glad someone is enjoying my hospitality," A Distorted voice said once the static cleared. This caused both Castle and Beckett to tense up.

"Who are you? Where are we?" Beckett demanded, going straight into her cop mode. Castle noticed that in her voice, there was no trace of fear.

"So much questions," The Distorted voice said. "And so little time."

"I'm an NYPD detective," Beckett said.

"I know who you are, Katherine Beckett, and Richard Castle."

"You know so much about us, and we know nothing about you. Hardly seems fair," Castle said, and the voice on the other side went quiet, but only for a moment.

"You are right, Mr. Castle. So I think, in honor of fairness, I tell you who I am. After all, you are familiar with my work." He paused, and Castle figured for dramatic effect. "You can call me Orion."


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: ** First off, I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I have been super busy with school and dealing with personal stuff to get a chance to write/post a new chapter. For those who are still interested, I hope you enjoy chapter 13. Secondly, I need to apologize for my poor writing. I was reading back to make sure I stay true to the story and realized all my little mistakes. I promise that I will try and write better.

Again, sorry for the delay, I hope you enjoy Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

BECKETT and Castle both went quiet at the revelation, each thinking the exact same thing: they were screwed.

"Why so quiet all of a sudden?" Orion asked. "Or, are you just shocked to be in the presence of a celebrity?"

"Celebrity?" Castle asked. "More like a deranged psychopath."

Both Castle and Beckett could hear the disapproving 'tisk-tisk' in Orion's distorted voice. Beckett couldn't tell exactly what happened after that, but she heard Castle suddenly scream out in pain, as if he was being shocked by the chair.

"Wait! Stop!" She pleaded, and tried to fight against her restraints. Orion seemed to listen, as Castle's loud screams were replaced by soft moans.

"Like what I've done, Detective?" Orion asked. "I wired these chairs myself, and don't worry - I had them thoroughly tested. The first time I tried these chairs out, the guy sitting in them was charred to a crisp."

Beckett felt her stomach turn in repulsion, and she wondered just how many victims Orion had killed.

"But, as you can see, after many failed prototypes, I finally perfected the right ones. I'm a little saddened that you were not the first one to be sitting in the final prototype chair, detective, but life is full of disappointments. Regardless, you are here now, and that's all that should matter."

Beckett felt her body clench. Even though his voice was distorted, she could hear the subtle hint of pleasure and entertainment when he spoke. No doubt, Orion was a psychopath, and even though this wasn't her first encounter with a true psychopath, Orion had seemed to garner the extra hand on them.

"You're quiet, Detective. Don't you have anything to say?" Orion asked.

'_I have a lot of things to say,'_ Beckett thought. She could feel the anger run through her veins, and she wondered how tough Orion really was if he had to keep her and Castle tied to a chair. However, enough was enough.

"You're a coward," She stated so simply, and even though she wasn't prepared to feel the volts of electricity run through her body, it had only confirmed what she had initially said.

She looked up at nowhere in particular, and with as much energy as she could muster, said, "See. Coward."

"Kate, no," Castle had said weakly from his own chair, but it was no use. Another short burst of electricity had coursed through both of their chairs, causing them to grunt in pain simultaneously.

Castle felt queasy as the last remnants of the electric shock pulsed his muscles before dissipating. His mind was racing, mostly of thoughts about his Mother and Alexis. If Orion killed him, they would be devastated, and rightly so, but in a weird way he couldn't quite explain, he was slightly comforted over the fact that they would have each other to get through it, and there was enough money that the two of them would be taken care of.

He scanned the room for Beckett, hoping to catch a glimpse of her silhouette in the darkness. He wondered if she was thinking about her family, more specifically her father. If she died, her father, in his lifetime, would have buried both his wife and only daughter, leaving only himself to pick up the pieces. Castle wondered if Jim would turn to the bottle again for comfort, and if that would be the death of him.

He turned his head quickly, trying to snap himself out of thinking like this. He was Richard Castle. He never, ever gave up. Nothing was ever impossible for him, just a slight challenge.

"Beckett?" Castle asked.

"Yeah?"

"We gotta get out of here." If Castle could see Beckett's face, he imagined her to have a 'duh' look on her face.

"Jeez, Castle. Why didn't I think of that?"

A laugh came over the intercom. Orion was still watching them.

"Glad you find us entertaining," Beckett said sarcastically to Orion, who only continued to chuckle.

"He gives me the creeps," Castle said. "If we live, my next novel is totally going to be based on this guy."

Orion's laughter abruptly stopped, causing both Castle and Beckett to tense up.

"Why Castle," Orion said. "I think that is a great idea."

Before Castle had a chance to say anything, another surge of volts went through him, and Beckett, until they both lost consciousness.

* * *

RYAN had just finished eating a very late lunch, when he noticed Castle's daughter, Alexis, standing in the middle of the Bullpen looking worried. Putting his half drank coffee down on his desk, he made his way over to one of the most responsible teens he had ever met.

"Alexis," Ryan said, which caused her to turn around. Looking at her more closely, he could tell something had been bothering Alexis, and in a more concerned voice he said, "Why don't you come over to my desk?"

Alexis nodded and followed Detective Ryan, taking Esposito's seat while he was out trying to find clues about the case.

"What's wrong? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"It's my Dad," Alexis said, and her lip slightly quivered. "I haven't heard from him since yesterday. I thought maybe he was working late, but he usually calls."

Ryan leaned back in his seat. "Does your Grandmother know you are here?"

"No, but I couldn't concentrate at school, especially if something happened to him." She paused, her eyes pleading with Ryan. "It's not like him not to call. I've even tried phoning and texting him, he hasn't returned any of my messages."

Ryan's gaze then went over to Beckett's desk. Castle wasn't the only one who wasn't returning phone calls.

"I'll tell you what," Ryan began. "I'm going to phone your grandmother, and have her come pick you up. In the mean time, I need you to tell me the last time you saw him."

"It was in the morning. I told him my day and that I was going over to Ashley's. He wasn't in when I got home, I just figured he was working late so I went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, and he still wasn't home, I thought he left early - or didn't come home at all, but he would have at least left a note or called."

"I understand, Alexis, and I will do everything I can to find him, okay?"

Alexis nodded, giving Ryan as small smile as he reached for the phone.

* * *

BY the time Esposito came back to the precinct, the sun had gone down, and most of the people had already left for home. He was surprised to see Ryan still at his desk, and Esposito noticed that something serious must have happened, because he looked deep in thought.

"Something wrong Bro?" Esposito asked as she sat down on his chair. "I thought you would have gone home by now?"

"Alexis came by today," Ryan said, which surprised Esposito. "Castle hasn't phoned, nor is he returning her calls."

Esposito gave Ryan the same expression Ryan had given Alexis. "That's not like him."

"I know. I also spoke with Martha, and she is just as worried as Alexis is."

"Is he with Beckett?"

"Here's the weird part. She isn't answering her phone either. I even dropped by her place, and there is no sign of her."

"Maybe she is with Josh?" Esposito suggested.

"I stopped by the hospital to speak with him. He hasn't heard from Beckett either."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them.

"You don't think something happened, do you?"

"I don't know what I think. Castle's car is still in the garage at his place, so wherever he went, it was by foot."

"What about Beckett?"

"She didn't use the squad car," Ryan said. "It's in the garage accounted for. I even contacted their cellphone providers so we could trace them, but their phones are off."

"Where could they have gone?"

"We don't even know if they are together. Regardless, I put out an APB for Castle, and I filled in the Captain on the situation."

"What about for Beckett?"

"We don't know if she is actually missing. We can't do anything until we know for sure."

"My gut is telling me something ain't right."

"Mine too," Ryan agreed. "Did you find anything regarding the cases?"

Esposito shook his head. "I'm hitting the same dead ends like those buffoons, but right now my priority is finding Castle and Beckett."

* * *

THE night's cold wind brushed against Castle's face, causing him to stir awake. The first thing he noticed was the moon, and he quickly realized that he was no longer in the dark room, or tied down to a chair. Eyes widening, he quickly picked himself up from off the ground, wincing in pain, as the ordeal he had been through earlier had left his body shaken up.

"Beckett!" He called out, noticing he was in the exact same wooded area where he was first taken. "Beckett! Are you here?"

There was no answer, and Castle made his way around in the dark hoping to find his partner. "Beckett?" He screamed, and it took everything he had in him to stop himself from breaking down once he realized that Orion had only let him go.

He started to make his way up the road, hoping to find something or someone that could help him. He didn't know how long he was walking for, but a car pulled up from behind him, in it an older woman, looking concerned.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, causing Castle to stop. She had gotten a better look at him, and he appeared as though he had gone to hell and back. "You look familiar."

"My name is Richard Castle. I'm a writer."

She stared at him for a moment, as if she was comparing this Richard Castle, to the one on her book jacket at home.

"Do you have a cell phone on you, by chance?"

The woman's face fell, as if she was apologetic. "Out of all the days I leave it at home." She paused briefly, before asking, "Do you need to go to a hospital, Mr. Castle?Because I can drive you to one. It's on my way."

Castle thought about it for a moment, before nodding his head, and getting in the car.


	15. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

"DAD!"

Castle turned his head slowly, as he saw his daughter, mother, as well as Esposito and Ryan, enter the examination room he was put in once he arrived at the Hospital.

"Oh, dear God, Richard, what happened to you?" Martha asked, noticing the state that her son was in.

Castle slowly accepted a hug from Alexis. He actually felt a little better that he was holding her.

"I'm fine," Castle began to say once he separated from the hug. However, the collective looks from his family and friends did not seem to believe him.

"It looks like you've been tortured," Alexis said, horror in her voice.

Castle tried to reassure her."The doctors checked me out, they say I'm going to be fine."

"Were you, Richard? Were you tortured?" Martha's concerned, yet stern voice asked.

"It's complicated," Castle began. "I was kidnapped."

"By who?" Ryan asked, stepping closer to see his friend.

Castle exchanged a look between Ryan and Esposito, before looking over at Alexis and Martha. He didn't want to make them worry anymore about him.

"Look, Mom - Alexis. I'm fine, really. All I am waiting for is some pain meds. I'll have Ryan and Esposito drop me off at home okay?"

"That isn't an answer, Dad," Alexis reminded.

"I know, and all I can say is that I have been through an ordeal, but I'm okay now. So can you please go home? I promise I will talk more about it then."

Alexis looked at Martha, who only nodded her head, and complied with her son's wishes. After they both gave him a quick hug, they left, leaving only Esposito and Ryan in the room.

Esposito examined Castle. He had looked like he had been through a lot, and he had to give his writer friend props for surviving, when most people wouldn't.

"You okay to talk about this now?" Esposito asked. Even though he was a cop and it would be best to get a statement right away, Castle was still a very good friend of his, and he looked like he just needed to sleep.

"I'm good," Castle said, looking at both Ryan and Esposito. "But there is something you two need to know first."

Both Ryan and Esposito exchanged quick glances with each other before turning back to face Castle.

"Beckett was with me."

"What do you mean with you?" Ryan asked. "At the hospital?"

Castle shook his head vigorously. "No. She was abducted with me. When I woke up in the field again I thought he released her too, I searched for her, but she wasn't there."

"Who took you Castle?" Esposito pressed.

Castle took in a breath. "He called himself Orion."

Esposito looked over at Ryan, who had already grabbed his phone, calling the Captain, as he stepped out of the room.

"He had us strapped down to these electric chairs, and would send volts through our body if we did something he didn't like."

"Do you know where you were?" Esposito questioned.

"No," Castle said frustratingly. "The room he had us in was pitch dark. When he took us, he hit us with tranquilizer darts, and when he brought me back I was unconscious."

Ryan, who had just stepped back into the room asked, "Where did he bring you back to?"

"The Burke crime scene," Castle answered.

"What were you doing at the Burke crime scene?" Esposito and Ryan asked in unison.

"I went to check something out. It didn't add up right, and Beckett had the same hunch."

"What hunch were you going on?"

"Well, actually Beckett had a hunch, I just had writers curiosity, but she read the 9-1-1 report, and went to see if there was a pay phone, because that's what the anonymous person said they were phoning on."

"But there wasn't..." Ryan added, his voice trailing.

Castle nodded his head. "So I'm thinking Orion got spooked with his last kill and had to ditch Burke fast, but since he likes the attention, he needed someone to find the body, so he called the police."

"His ego is probably going to make us catch him. Did you hear his voice?" Esposito asked.

"He was using a voice distorter, and he stayed hidden." Castle turned his head away, and angrily slammed his fist down on the exam table, causing both Ryan and Esposito to look at him.

"We'll catch him, Bro," Esposito said.

"With what?" Castle asked. "I can't tell you anything."

"He'll screw up. They all do," Ryan added.

Castle didn't seem convinced, and with a frustrated sigh he said, "He has Beckett!"

"We know. Captain Montgomery is making this case a priority," Ryan stressed.

"You have to find her. Just...find her," Castle said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

* * *

BECKETT woke up to darkness again, her body aching in every way imaginable.

"Castle," Beckett said with a raspy voice, thanks to a very dry throat. She waited a moment for him to answer, and when he didn't, she repeated, with more worry in her voice, "Castle?"

"He's not here," Orion's voice came through the intercom. This caused Beckett's heart to skip a beat.

"What do you mean he is not here? What did you do with him?" She tried to jolt in her chair, but the restraints had her confounded tightly.

"When are you ever going to learn, Detective. You aren't going to leave this place unless you I want you to."

"Where. Is. Castle." Beckett repeated. "I swear to God if you did anything to him"-

Orion's laugh cut her off. "You'll do what? Last time I checked, I had the advantage over you."

Beckett clenched her teeth. "Only because you are a coward and can't take me on like a real man."

Beckett let out a small scream as electricity ran through her body.

"How many times do I have to tell you that making fun of me will not help you in anyway."

"I just want to know if he is okay!"

Orion laughed. "Maybe you should be asking yourself if he is even still alive."


	16. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

EVEN though it felt good to finally be at home and in his own bed, Castle had barely slept last night, and even when the pain medication kicked in and made him drowsy, his dreams haunted him, mostly consisting of Beckett and what Orion was doing to her at this very moment.

The human side of Castle wished that he was still there, at least then he would know if Beckett was alright. They could talk to each other, making sure they were both still alive - the only comfort that would have been allotted to them in that situation; the writer side wished Orion had let them both go relatively unharmed. However, that was the most unrealistic wish of all.

He couldn't stay in the apartment any longer. Despite his Mother's concern and wishes for him to stay home, he had to get out, and thankfully, after a semi-long argument, Martha eventually sighed and let him go. He promised her if he was going to go anywhere, it would only be to the Precinct, and with a place full of cops, it was the safest place he could be.

He followed his usual morning routine, going to the local coffee shop he always visited before going to the Precinct. The Barista that usually worked there on weekday mornings was about to fill up two cups of coffee, before Castle stopped her, saying it was only one for today.

He made his way over to the Precinct, stepping into the elevator and pushing the fourth floor. He stepped back, allowing his back to be supported by the wall, and he took a sip of his coffee as the elevator doors began to shut.

"Hey!" Came McKenna's voice, as he put his arm in between the doors. "Don't you know how to keep an elevator door open?"

"I'm sorry," Castle said, not really in the mood to have a word-war match with his least favorite cop. "I didn't see anyone."

McKenna nodded his head, and looked at Castle. He, along with the rest of the Precinct knew what happened to both Castle and Beckett. "Look man," McKenna began. "I'm glad you are alright."

Castle looked up at McKenna, shocked that his words were actually sincere. Maybe, he thought, he had the wrong impression of McKenna.

"Beckett should have never put you in danger. It's one thing to risk her life, but a civilian's life? Once we find her, she'll be lucky to have a job," McKenna continued.

The elevator doors chimed open just in time, preventing Castle from kicking McKenna's ass. He now definitely thought that his first impressions of the arrogant cop-prick were right.

"Castle," Lanie's voice rang from the other side of the elevator, bringing Castle back to reality. He was surprised to see the medical examiner, but also very grateful too. As soon as he stepped out, she gave him a big hug. "I am so glad you are okay."

"Thanks Lanie," He said, separating from the hug. "But what brings you all the way here? Or do you just pop up in time before I do something I will regret?"

"If you are talking about McKenna - ignore him. He's an idiot and will get on anyones nerves." She paused, half smiling, half laughing. "I swear, there are some days when he comes into my morgue and tells me how to do my job. Those are the days when I feel like putting him on my table myself."

Castle smiled, as Lanie continued, saying, "And I'm here for the same reason you are here. My girl is missing, and I want - need - to help find her."

Castle nodded his head, and followed her over to Ryan and Esposito's desk. He quickly glanced over at Beckett's desk, a small sigh escaping from his lips. It didn't seem right to have it so empty. Even when Beckett wasn't occupying her chair, a coat would be slung over the chair, or a coffee cup with steam still coming off the top would make anyone know she was there.

"We'll find her, Bro," Esposito said, noticing Castle looking over at Beckett's desk.

"We better," Came Captain Montgomery's voice. He turned to Castle, and then said, "I'm glad you are here."

"Thanks," Castle responded in a low voice.

"What have we got so far?" Montgomery asked, turning his attention to Esposito and Ryan.

"Nothing yet, but we have patrol scanning the Burke crime scene, and the techies are looking over the 911 call to see if they can isolate sounds and give us a better idea on where Orion was calling from," Ryan answered.

Montgomery nodded his head. It was the best they could do for now. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah," Came McKenna's voice that made Castle cringe. "Why are all the resources being pulled in to find Katherine?"

"Because she is missing," Esposito said, turning to face McKenna and his partner, Johnson.

"Her fault. She shouldn't have been riffling - no - breaking into - my partner's desk," Johnson said, with just as much arrogance as McKenna. "If she hadn't, she would not be kidnapped, and she wouldn't have put Writer boy's life in danger."

Castle took a step forward, but Esposito stopped him.

"Look, we aren't going to solve any problems here by fighting," Montgomery began. "We need to work together on this, and _this_ is my call, and the Commissioner, in case you were planning on going behind my back again, McKenna, has my full support." Montgomery paused, looking at everyone in the eye. "Our number one priority is getting Beckett back here alive, and capturing Orion. If either of you can't be professionals, then I will take each and everyone of you off this case? Are we clear?"

Esposito, Ryan, and Castle were the first people to nod their heads in compliance, followed by a reluctant McKenna and Johnson.

"Good. I'll be in my office if anything comes up."

With that, Montgomery left, leaving the five of them looking at each other with equal distaste. However, it was Ryan who stressed the importance of working together.

"The Captain is right. We'll work better if we work together. It's our best shot."

"I heard what the Captain said, Ryan," McKenna said bitterly. "But incase you have forgotten there are four open crime scenes, I don't see why they are getting the shaft."

Lanie, who had been quiet, looked at McKenna, "Kate is with their killer, you idi"-

"Let's just get to work," Esposito said, interrupting Lanie before she could finish her sentence.

McKenna and Johnson rolled their eyes simultaneously, before turning their backs and heading toward their desk. When they were out of ear shot, Esposito turned to his friends.

"Look, I don't count on McKenna and Johnson pulling their weight. If we are going to have to work a lot of hours. I'm ready to make that sacrifice."

"I am too," Ryan said, sticking his hand out, which Esposito then placed his overtop.

"Anything to find my girl," Lanie added, putting her hand on top of Esposito's.

Castle then placed his hand on top of Lanie's, and a sense of family overcame him. He knew if any one of them were in the same position as Beckett was in now, she would stop at nothing to make sure they were okay, and that was exactly what they were going to do for her.

* * *

BECKETT had been conscious now for what seemed like forever. She had no idea what day it was, or where she was, or what exactly Orion's plans for her were. She could barely move because the restraints from the chair were so tight, and every part of her body ached. Katherine Beckett wasn't a complainer, but the second she got away, she would make Orion pay for the pain he had caused her.

"You talk in your sleep," Orion's distorted voice said through the intercom. Beckett clenched her teeth, as well as her fists again. He had come back.

"I guess I also snore too, right?" Beckett said sarcastically.

Orion only laughed. "Not for long." There was a long silence before Orion said, "You called out for Castle, as well as your Mom, incase you were wondering what you said."

Beckett put her head down, but defiantly said, "I wasn't."

Her eyes moved around the blackened room once Orion got quiet again. The moments of silence had bothered her the most.

"This isn't fun anymore," Orion finally spoke after some time. "I think I know how to make this interesting again."

Beckett felt her heart skip a beat, and she could hear footsteps from the intercom, and she figured whatever Orion was speaking out of, he was carrying it with him. Her eyes quickly turned over to the sound of an opening door, and for the briefest moment she caught what was on the other side.

"Uh-ah-uh," Orion said in his condescending tone. "No peaking."

Before Beckett could do anything, she heard the familiar click of a trigger being pulled.

"Goodbye, Detective." Was the last thing she heard before her she slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

CASTLE had gone through every crime scene report more then twice, looking for anything that was out of the picture - anything that could have been nothing at the time, but mean something now, to no avail. Lanie had left hours ago, stating that she would talk to her friends who were connected, see if anyone has heard of any illegal usage or weird requests for M99. So far, it was their only viable lead, considering everything else had turned up empty.

Ryan and Esposito arrived back shortly after, carrying a pizza box. It was only then did Castle notice that the sun was no longer up.

"You gotta take a break, Bro," Esposito said, putting the pizza box in between the three of them. Even though they had all earlier vowed to never give up until Beckett was found, starring at the same piece of paper for hours wasn't going to do her any good either.

"Have something to eat," Ryan insisted, and Castle didn't realize how hungry he was until he smelt the delicious pepperoni pizza.

"You're right," Castle said, throwing the file back down on the desk. "This isn't helping."

"We've combed through all the crime scenes again. I don't think we will turn up anything there," Esposito said, grabbing a slice.

"The files have nothing either," Castle said, his frustration showing. "I'm starting to think Orion is screwing with us on purpose."

"He's going to make a mistake, they all do," Ryan reassured. He had to believe that just as much as Castle had to. He just hoped Orion's mistake came sooner then later.

"Beckett's dad dropped by earlier," Castle commented. "Captain spoke to him."

"How did he seem?" Esposito asked.

"Worried. But Montgomery did his best to reassure him. I wanted to say something to him, but I didn't think I could find the right...words."

There was a moment of silence between the three of them, before the elevator door chimed open, and a young male Express carrier holding a medium sized box came in. He looked confused, as he scanned the room, and Ryan was the first one to notice. He got up from his chair, walked over to the carrier, and after a quick exchange, with the package in his hand, he made his way back over to Esposito and Castle.

"What's in the box?" Esposito asked, once Ryan put it down, as Castle moved the pizza box.

"I don't know, but it's kind of heavy," Ryan answered, and Esposito took out a box cutter from his desk and handed it to Ryan who used it to cut it open.

"What's in the box?" Castle asked, once Ryan got awfully quiet.

Ryan paused before pulling out an urn that had a name engraved in it.

The name Katherine Beckett.


	17. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

LANIE carefully took the urn from Ryan and placed it on her table, before she grabbed a tray that pathologists often used to sift through ash and dirt. She opened the urn, and very carefully poured the ashes into the tray as Castle, Montgomery, Ryan and Esposito, watched from a distance behind her.

When she first got the call, she had to ask Esposito to repeat himself twice. Even now, as she poured whatever was in this urn onto the tray, she refused to believe for a moment, that this was her best friend. Even if the urn had her name on it.

Once she was done, she began to carefully move bits of the ash, hoping to find something, a bone fragment - anything that she might be able to obtain a DNA sample from.

"What are your chances of finding something?" Montgomery asked, knowing it was a question on all three of their minds.

"If an incinerator was used, sometimes bone fragments or teeth don't get burned completely."

They all went quiet again, and Castle had a look on his face that was a mix of horror, sadness, and hope that whosever ashes those were, they weren't Beckett's.

Lanie's sifting finally stopped, and with a pair of tweezers she pulled out a tooth that was hiding in between the ashes, and placed it on another tray. "I got a tooth. Actually, I got three of them."

"What is your next move?" Ryan asked, taking a closer look at the three teeth Lanie placed on a silver tray.

"We get a DNA test done. If either of you can go to Beckett's apartment, her hair brush, tooth brush - I'll be able to compare the samples, and rule out Beckett."

Esposito noticed, that like him, Ryan, and Castle, she refused to believe that this was Beckett. This belief was the only thing that was keeping them all going - to prove that Beckett was still alive and fighting with the son of a bitch who was playing a game with her.

"The sooner the better," Montgomery said to the three of them, and they all nodded their heads simultaneously before leaving the morgue.

* * *

IT felt weird for them to be in Beckett's apartment without her in it, or without her permission. Esposito, with two evidence bags in his hand, made his way toward Beckett's washroom, while Ryan and Castle looked around the place. Old family photos were in frames on table ends, and on walls, along with some unique pieces of artwork that hung along them.

Ryan made his way over to her coffee table, picking up a book, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, that Beckett had been reading. It was then that he noticed her massive book shelf, and all the books that she had kept on them. He even recognized all of Castle's novels.

Esposito joined his two friends again, this time with a toothbrush and a comb in the two separate evidence bags.

"You know, I never pictured Beckett's apartment to look like this," Esposito commented. "I thought she would get something similar to the one she had before."

"Before it blew up?" Castle asked. "Honestly, I think this apartment, and how it's styled suits her more then the other one. It feels more homely. Not like something out of an Ikea catalogue."

"Jenny loves Ikea," Ryan said randomly. "I have furniture I can't even pronounce."

Maybe it was the stress of the day, or the over exhaustion, but the three of them suddenly burst out in laughter, and only stopped once they realized they were standing in Beckett's empty apartment.

* * *

_CASTLE placed his coffee cup on top of Beckett's unoccupied desk the next morning. He hadn't been over there in awhile, but since Ryan and Esposito's desk was cluttered with various papers, and an empty pizza box, he figured he could get more work done on a desk that was kept more clean. _

_ He was about to reach for his coffee cup when he noticed it was gone. He looked around the desk, and finally he looked up, as his eyes rested on Beckett, who was taking a sip. _

_ "I'm gone for more then a week and you already forget to bring me coffee?" _

_ Castle's mouth was agape, but with relief in his voice he said, "Beckett." He quickly embraced her, holding her tight, not wanting to let go. "I was so worried about you. We all were." _

_ "I can't breathe," Beckett said, which caused Castle to loosen the hug, and separate._

_ "Sorry," Castle stammered, still not believing he was seeing Beckett. He had to admit that she looked pretty good. "When did you get back?" _

_ "Shortly," She answered. _

_ "Where were you? What about Orion? How did you escape?" _

_ "Castle, that's a lot of questions. Can I just take a breath and enjoy this coffee?" _

_ "Of course," Castle responded, still not taking his eyes of her. Beckett noticed. _

_ "If you blink, I'm not going to disappear you know." _

_ "I know, it's just we were worried about you." _

_ "I was worried about you too, Castle. I thought Orion had done something to you when I realized you were not there." _

_ "I'm fine. Now that you are here." _

_ Beckett put the coffee cup back down on the table, and then looked back at Castle and smiled. _

_ "Does the Captain, or Ryan and Esposito know you are back? Lanie and your father?" _

_ "I wanted to tell you first," Beckett responded, moving away from her desk, toward the walkway. _

_ "Thanks," Castle said, as Beckett turned to head toward the exit. _

_ "Always," She responded, before she disappeared._

* * *

"BECKETT!" Castle said, as he jolted awake from his sleep. His cell phone was ringing, and once he realized that he had been dreaming, he reached over to his night stand and grabbed his phone to see that Ryan had been calling.

"Hello?" He answered, still half-asleep, and half-disturbed from his dream.

"Castle, the results are in." Was all Ryan said. They had all waited anxiously for seven days for the results to come in. During that week, they still looked for Beckett, or any leads on Orion to no avail, and finally, today, they would know for sure if Beckett was still alive or not.

"I'll be right there," Castle said, feeling his stomach drop.

* * *

WHEN Castle arrived at the Precinct, Montgomery, along with Lanie, Ryan, and Esposito, and a few other police officers, including Johnson and McKenna, were all waiting for him, and all gathered around Beckett's desk. He noticed that Lanie was holding the still closed envelope under her arm, and she had the same look on her face as all of Beckett's close friends had: dread, mixed with hope.

"Hey, Bro," Esposito said, patting Castle on the shoulder. The three of them worked hard these past times, and finally the moment they all wanted and feared was here.

Montgomery looked at Lanie, who then took the folder from under her arm. She was about to open it, but hesitated. Montgomery understood and volunteered to open it, and she handed it over to him.

Castle could feel his throat close, and his heart beat fast, as Montgomery opened the envelope and pulled out the paper. He looked at it for a second, before placing it down and exchanging looks between everyone in the room.

"The DNA results confirm that the teeth, and most likely the ash remains belong to that of Detective Katherine Beckett."

Lanie quickly turned her head, and Esposito went over to her to comfort her, as she put a hand to her mouth. The some of the other police officers went silent, exchanging looks between each other, while the others whispered their expressions of shock. Even McKenna and Johnson remained speechless.

"I'll contact Katherine's father," Montgomery said after a moment. Even though his expression remained strong, deep down all he wanted to do was grieve the loss of one of the finest detectives he had the privilege of working with.

Castle watched as Montgomery headed to his office, the whole time in his head chanting for him to wake up - that this was all a dream. But feeling Ryan's hand touch his shoulder confirmed how real this situation was.

"Castle," Ryan said softly.

"This isn't...this isn't real," Castle said, his lips slightly quivering.

"It is," McKenna suddenly said with impatience and anger in his voice. "Katherine Beckett is dead."

"No!" Castle replied with the exact same anger. "No, she isn't."

"Despite our issues with the Detective, we lost a sister today. All of us cops can relate to that. The only reason why you are upset is because you lost a muse," Johnson retorted.

"You think that's why I'm upset?" Castle asked, not believing the words coming out of Johnson's mouth. "That I lost a muse?"

"Yes," McKenna answered. "Now leave this Precinct. You don't belong here anymore." McKenna turned toward the other police officers, and said, "Get to work people. We now have a cop killer on the loose."

Out of fear, the other officers dispersed.

"You son of a bitch," Castle said, with his fist clenched. "You don't care about Kate. You never did."

"Neither did you," McKenna retorted.

"Of course I care!" Castle yelled, half-crying. "I lov"-Castle stopped himself. "She's my friend."

"Was," McKenna said. "Was your friend. You are a writer, Castle. You should know to use past tense when talking about a dead person."

"Stop it! Just Stop it!" Lanie finally said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Then tell your writer friend to get the hell out of my face, and the hell out of this Precinct. Katherine is dead, Castle. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Without thinking Castle lunged forward for McKenna, but was stopped by Ryan and Esposito, While Johnson stopped McKenna from going after Castle. In the process however, McKenna knocked over a picture frame that was on Beckett's desk, causing it to hit the floor and shatter.

Bending down, Castle carefully lifted up the picture frame. It was a picture of Beckett, when she was younger, and her mother. She had always kept it at her desk as a reminder of how not to investigate a murder. He slowly and carefully placed it back down on Beckett's desk, the irony not passing him.

"I should go," Castle said in a low voice. He didn't want to upset anyone more then he already had.

Ryan was about to stop him, but Esposito put a hand out, telling him that he should just let him go.

Castle had kept his head down the whole time, the walk to the elevator feeling like forever, the whole time his mind screaming, in McKenna's voice, that Beckett was dead.


	18. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

BECKETT chipped away at the cuff around her right ankle, which was chained (with a generous length chain for movement) to a wall, for the third time since she had been awake. She sighed in frustration, realizing it wouldn't budge (again), and she made her way back over to the small mattress (that had a pillow and a blanket) that lay on the ground in what was a make-shift prison cell that had a small washroom, and an area where a slot would open up, where Orion would give her food and water, from what she presumed came down from a chute.

She had to admit to herself she was surprised. She had no concept of time anymore, but when she first woke up in this cell, she realized that she had to have been here for awhile, because surely Orion couldn't keep her strapped to a chair for more then three days. Aside from the cooper taste of blood in her newly swollen mouth, she was grateful for the chance to move around, even if it was in a confined area, and to see things a little more clearly, as there was a florescent light in what she presumed was a hallway. Unfortunately though, she wasn't able to make out the place she was in, or if there were even more cells like the one she was in.

She also wasn't technically alone either. Orion had made his usual voice-only visits, just to remind her that he was still in charge. She made a joke, at his expense, for giving her water and food, the latter, which she rejected, until her hunger got the better of her, and she scoffed down the peanut butter and banana sandwich, ignoring Orion's twisted laughter on the other end.

Orion wasn't her only visitor either. After Orion's fun at playing Dr. Dentist with her, she had gotten a fever from an infection that caused her to hallucinate people. Orion had given her medication to take once he realized she was hallucinating and talking to people, after all, what fun would it be if she died from an infection. However, there were times when her fever would come back, and she would open her eyes to see either Castle or her Mother sitting across from the mattress. Even though she knew it wasn't real, it gave her a sense of comfort to see and hear their voices, especially her Mother's.

"Giving up so soon?" Orion's voice rang, causing Beckett to look up.

"What can I say? I just don't have it in me today."

"Understandable. That's why, being the nice person that I am, have decided to do something to alleviate your boredom."

"Put a bullet in my head?" Beckett asked exhaustedly, which caused Orion to laugh.

"You are so funny, Detective. Seriously, you definitely got in the wrong career." He paused. "I got something better - more fun."

Beckett didn't have time to ask what he meant by that, before a large white projector screen fell in front of the prison bars. She hated to admit how impressed she was at how organized Orion had been, and in her mind she already made him out to be a jack-of-all trades, probably someone with a doctorate in both medicine and computer sciences, or something involving technology.

"You, my dear friend, get to watch a movie!" Orion said excitedly, reminding Beckett of The Joker from the Batman cartoons she used to watch when she was younger. "And I'll give you a hint - you haven't seen this one before."

"I'm a cop who works long hours. There are hundreds of movies I haven't seen before," Beckett responded sarcastically.

Orion again laughed. "You are killing me, Detective." And then, in a more serious tone said, "No popcorn for you."

An image displayed on the Projector screen, with a logo that read: An Orion Production, before numbers counting down had replaced the image. After it got to one, green grass, and a beautiful sun came onto the screen. There was a tree just to the left, and on the bottom right hand corner was a time stamp, indicating to Beckett that whatever she was watching was live, and that she had been in Orion's custody for approximately ten days.

The camera angle suddenly changed, and she realized he was filming something at a cemetery that looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite wrap her mind around it. However that wasn't what made her stomach turn. The first people she saw was Martha and Alexis, dressed in black, holding each other crying.

'_Oh God.'_ Beckett thought. _'Castle's really dead. Orion killed Castle.' _She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face.

"Uh-ah-uh. No closing your eyes. You are going to miss the best part," Orion said, and reluctantly Beckett opened her eyes to see Captain Montgomery, Esposito, Ryan, and Lanie also there. She wondered if this was Orion's plan all along - to torture her about Castle's death.

And then, from the corner of her eye, she saw him enter the camera frame, and her heart skipped a beat. Castle, alive and well, was walking where everyone was gathered. She was so happy to see him - to know that he was okay, and that Orion had sparred his life and let him go - that she didn't notice the other man that was walking beside Castle, until he put a hand on his shoulder.

Beckett's eyes widened. "Dad?" She heard Orion laugh through the speaker. "What's my Dad doing"- Beckett stopped herself, her mind putting things together. Now she knew why the cemetery looked so familiar. It was the same place where her Mother was buried.

Castle had moved out of the way, and Beckett was able to see her father holding, rather hugging, an urn, with a doleful look on his face.

"I thought maybe I would get her own plot," Beckett heard her Father say. "But I think she would have wanted to be buried with her Mother."

"No," Beckett whispered, unable to get the words out of her mouth any louder.

"I think you are doing the right thing." Was Castle's response.

"No!" Beckett said, this time even louder as she saw her Father reluctantly hand over the urn to one of the employee's that worked at the cemetery. "Why do they think I'm dead, Orion?" Beckett yelled looking up at the ceiling. "What did you do?"

Orion never answered, and Beckett turned her attention back to the screen. Her Father had broken down, watching what he thought was his only child, being put in the ground, comforted by both Martha and Castle.

"I'm not dead," Beckett yelled at the screen with desperation in her voice (as if they could hear her) while tears streamed down her face. "I'm not dead!"

For the first time, in ten long days, Beckett broke down and began to sob, pushing herself toward where the top end of her mattress rested, and huddled in the corner, with her legs to her chest, allowing her head to rest on top of her arms, sobbing. "I'm not dead."

* * *

AT 5'10, with a semi-muscular build, dark eyes, the palest skin, and a nose, along with ears, that did not quite fit his facial structure, along with a mullet type haircut, Orion, or the thirty-something year old that called himself Orion, wickedly smiled down at Beckett as he watched her cry, while also cutting the feed to the video he was streaming, and the audio, from which Beckett could hear him from.

With his natural voice, that also didn't fit him, which sounded as if it got stuck at an awkward stage in puberty, with a mix of slightly high and phlegmy, said to himself, "...Yet."


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

CASTLE decided to hold Beckett's wake at his home, considering Jim Beckett was in no shape emotionally to plan his own daughter's funeral. Castle couldn't blame him either, and from one father to another, if Castle ever had to bury Alexis (and he prayed to God he would never, ever have to), he would be a wreck, or even worse. After the Precinct had found out Beckett was dead, he had gone home, thinking about what Jim was going through, and told both his Mother and Alexis that Beckett was dead, and spent the rest of the evening holding Alexis, whom had grown fond of the female detective over the past three years. That was why he needed to be strong for her; to be strong for them.

From across the room, Castle's eyes wandered over to Lanie, who was talking with his Mother, Alexis, and Josh, who couldn't make it to the funeral due to an emergency surgery, but came by to pay his respects. Out of Beckett's three colleagues, four if you counted Castle, Lanie had took Beckett's death the hardest, her grief evident on her face. From the moment the two of them met, many years ago, they had become 'insta-best friends' as Lanie and Beckett both put it. The two of them both worked in male dominated fields, so it was refreshing to have the extra X chromosome around, and they bonded over how they both had to keep the men they worked with in shape over Friday night Long Island Iced Teas.

His eyes then looked over at Esposito, Ryan, and Montgomery, who were chatting amongst themselves. No doubt the 12th Precinct had suffered a great loss. He noticed that the three of them had kept up a strong front as well. At first, Castle thought, they won't even notice it. They'll work around the loss, but once they return back to their daily routines, they'll mistakenly, out of a quick moment of forgetfulness, turn to Beckett for help, and she won't be there. That's when the reality of all this will hit them.

His eyes finally rested on the lone man on the other side of the room, who was sitting by himself, with a sullen look on his face, and Castle felt his heart break for him. Grabbing a club soda from one of the waiters holding a tray, he made his way over to Beckett's father.

"Jim," Castle said, extending his hand with the drink in it. "I brought you something to drink."

Jim looked up at Castle, gave him a small smile, and took the drink in his hands. "Thank you," He responded. "For everything. This is a nice wake. Katie would have liked it."

Castle took the empty chair beside him. He really had no words for Jim, which was, in a way, ironic, considering he had written over half a dozen funeral scenes in his novels.

"You know, it's funny," Jim suddenly said, looking down at his drink. "When Johanna died, every time I closed my eyes I kept remembering these things that I haven't thought about in forever. Like the day we first met, our first kiss, our wedding day - basically all the things we have done together. It was like a never ending home movie being played in my mind."

Castle watched as Jim paused, taking a sip of the club soda.

"Now when I close my eyes all I see is Katie. It's like I remember her birth as if it happened yesterday. Her first step; her first word...teaching her how to ride a bike in the summer, and skate in the winter. The very first hand made school father's day craft she gave me. Things I thought I have forgotten."

Jim turned to Castle, and let out a small laugh. "I remember, word-for-word, the conversation we had the day she found out you were going to be shadowing her. She was"-Jim let out another laugh - "she was so pissed off. And I told her, I was like, Katie, aren't you a fan of his?"

Castle couldn't help but join in and laugh at Jim's story. It was nice to see a smile on his face.

"And she was like, 'I'm a fan of his work, Dad. Not him.' But that changed. You changed her, you know? She never really had a partner on the force. Most people can't keep up with her, probably why she was an only child, but I think, I think she likes the challenge with you. She said you made things interesting for her."

"I'll admit I can be difficult to get along with as well, and there were times I thought Kate was going to turn her gun on me, just to shut me up sometimes," Castle joked, which caused Jim to laugh.

"Katie always had too much pride. Something her mother probably instilled in her, but deep down, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud, I think she really did end up liking you a lot."

Castle gave Jim a small smile. "The feeling was mutual."

* * *

EXHAUSTED, Castle plopped himself down on the couch, after cleaning up the last bits of the gathering, with the help of his Mother and Alexis. Everyone had left hours ago, and even though Ryan and Esposito volunteered to stay and help clean up, Castle insisted that they go.

Both Alexis and Martha joined Castle on the couch.

"That was a really nice thing you did for Jim, Richard," Martha said, once they all had a moment to catch their breath.

"Well, I wish I didn't have to do this in the first place," Castle responded, and Martha gave him an apologetic look.

"I feel so bad for Mr. Beckett," Alexis said. "He literally lost everyone he's loved. Sometimes life just sucks."

"I hear ya," Castle responded, and turned his attention to his front door, when a knock was heard.

"Expecting someone?" Martha asked, and Castle just shrugged as he made his way over to the door. Once he opened it he was surprised to see his second ex-wife, Gina, standing on the other side.

"Gina," Castle said, and stepped aside, allowing her to enter.

"Rick," Gina responded, and then turned her attention over to Martha and Alexis. "Hello, Martha; Alexis."

"Hi Gina," Alexis responded as she got up from the couch. She looked at her dad and said, "I'm going to be upstairs."

Castle nodded his head before looking back at Gina. "What brings you hear?"

"I heard what happened," Gina replied, sincerity in her voice. "I'm sorry, Rick."

"Thank you, but I don't think you are here to express your condolences."

Gina looked guilty. "The publishers are worried."

"Worried?" Martha asked from the couch, and they all turned toward her.

"Well, now with Detective Kate Beckett dead, they don't think Rick will have the inspiration to finish the next Nikki Heat novel."

"Oh," Martha said.

Gina continued, "I came by so I can reassure them that Rick will finish the last novel, despite his muse being dead."

"To be honest Gina, I'm not really in the mood to write," Castle answered. "Nikki Heat is Detective Kate Beckett. Without Kate"-

Gina interrupted him. "Rick, do I have to remind you that not too long ago you were struggling to write Nikki Heat, even with the Detective around."

"That's different Gina," Castle said.

Gina let out a frustrated sigh. She began to feel as if they had never gotten a divorce in the first place. "How is it different, Richard?" She asked, her voice rising slightly, reminding Castle of how the change of pitch in her voice usually meant an argument was coming. "Explain it to me, because if I go back to the publishing company tomorrow and tell them that you aren't going to finish a new Nikki Heat Novel, you are done, Rick."

Castle didn't say anything to that, and Gina just shook her head.

"Do you not care? Writing is your life, remember?"

"Of course I remember," Castle snapped back. "And I will write something someday. But right now, I just...I just don't have it in me to continue Nikki Heat."

"And again tell me how this is any different from all the other times you had writer's block?" Gina asked, with a hint of condescension in her voice.

"Because this isn't a writer's block!" Castle finally said, expressing emotion for the first time since he found out Kate was dead. "This is...grief. I lost someone I really, really cared about, and if you and your company can't understand that, then let me go."

Gina went quiet, and in a softer, more gentler voice she said, "It's not like I don't care, Rick. I do. And I am sorry what happened. But it's because, for whatever reason, I still care about you, and it's because I care, I am here. They won't just let you go, Rick. You have a contract with them and they will take you for every penny if you don't abide by it." Gina paused. "What I am trying to say is you have to write."

Gina made her way to the front door, and before she left she said, "Good night, Martha; Rick."

Martha turned toward her son. "What are you going to do?"

Castle moved from the spot he was in, heading toward his office, and in a bitter voice, he said, "Write."

* * *

THE lone cursor was taunting him as it flashed in between milliseconds. He had written a whole chapter for his third Nikki Heat novel, but now that Beckett was gone, it didn't seem right, so in a fit of anger he had erased it all. In his previous books, he had paid homage, in way or another, to all the cases he had worked on, and he was debating whether or not he would stick to that idea and kill off Nikki Heat, after all, this was going to be his last book in the series, and it wasn't like he never killed off the lead character in his novels before.

However the more he thought about it, the more it made his stomach turn. Derrick Storm was easier to kill off because he was a mixture of all the fictional male detectives he had watched on television. Heat, on the other hand, was based only on one, non-fiction person, whom he had fallen in love with.

And it was love. Even if he couldn't admit it out loud, he knew from the moment she walked back toward the waiting police car three years ago that he had fallen for her, and hard. After many failed relationships, and two marriages, he would be the last person to believe in love at first sight, but with Beckett everything was different.

And that angered him. It angered him because he never got a chance to tell Beckett how he truly felt; how much he appreciated her, more then he had appreciated any other women in his life. That deranged psychopath, Orion, had taken the only woman he truly loved away from him, and he finally realized why he couldn't cry over Beckett's death, and it was because he was just too goddamn angry. He swore that if he had ever found Orion he would make him pay.

Castle looked down at his laptop screen again. He decided if he couldn't have Beckett, Jameson wouldn't have Nikki either.


	20. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

THE bullpen was quiet; quieter then it had ever been in all the years Esposito had worked at the 12th Precinct. Everyone appeared to be walking on eggshells, not sure themselves how to handle the loss of one of New York's finest Detectives, so instead they would place flowers on top of her desk, creating a little mural for the late detective.

For the most part of the morning, Esposito had watched how one large basket of flowers, from Natalie Rhodes (the actress set to play Nikki Heat in an upcoming movie), had turned into a plethora of flowers, to the point where co-workers were placing it on the floor around her desk because there wasn't enough room. He had to smile to himself because he knew Beckett would have hated all of this attention.

"Hey," Ryan said, coming up from behind Esposito. He handed his partner a coffee, and then looked over at Beckett's desk. If her funeral wasn't enough to make Beckett's death seem real, then this certainly was.

"Hey, Bro," Esposito responded, taking the coffee. "How are you?"

"Alright I guess," Ryan said, as he took his seat. "But, in a way, I feel like I lost my sister or something."

Esposito nodded his head in understanding. When he first met Beckett at the 12th Precinct, he didn't know what to expect, as she had a conviction record that had put most of the other detectives, even himself, to shame. He expected her to be cocky, or arrogant, as that was how most of her other co-workers, namely McKenna and Johnson, had described her, but when he actually got to talk to her, he realized why she was so good, and it was because she actually cared about the victim and the victim's family. She'd rather have things done right, then for the sake of a case being closed. It was that philosophy that Esposito attained to, and respected. From that, everything else just fell into place, and they had this weird brother/sister dynamic in which they would tease each other in good fun, and once Ryan had become his partner, it didn't take long for their quasi-sibling relationship to extend to him as well.

Both Ryan and Esposito's attention shifted toward Captain Montgomery's office as his door opened, and he stepped out followed by McKenna, Johnson, and this other male, whom they have never seen before.

The Captain motioned for Esposito and Ryan to come over, and they obliged, getting up from their desk and making their way over to the others.

"What's up, Captain?" Esposito asked.

"I'd like you to meet Detective Jason Caliver," The Captain began, pointing to the six foot, blue eyed, blonde hair male, who was standing in between McKenna and Johnson. "He is Detective McKenna's cousin - transferred in from Detroit."

"Transferred?" Ryan asked.

"With Beckett...gone, we are short staffed," Montgomery began.

"You're replacing her already?" Esposito asked, and it came out harsher then he expected it to.

"My intention is not to replace Katherine," Caliver began. "I have read her sheet, she was a very good detective, and her killer is still out there. My only intention is to find the son of a bitch who did this and get justice for her, and the other victims."

"Javier, Kevin, I realize this is a hard time for you both, it's a hard time for everybody, but I expect you two to professionally welcome him. He was the top detective back in Detroit, with an impressive sheet. We are lucky to get someone of his caliber."

"Thank you, Captain. I appreciate that," Caliver said, as Montgomery made his way back to his office.

As soon as Montgomery's office door shut behind him, Caliver already started to get to work by grabbing a large empty box and heading toward Beckett's desk. He began to grab all the flowers and place them inside the box.

"Hey man, what are you doing?" Esposito asked, walking up next to him.

"I can't do work if my desk is crowded," Caliver stated.

"This isn't your desk," Ryan reminded.

"Well it ain't Katherine's either," McKenna added. "And since she is dead, I don't think she'll be using it anytime soon."

"Not cool, man," Esposito said, getting up into McKenna's face, which caused Johnson to step in.

"McKenna's right, Roach. Katherine got herself killed," Johnson said. "She was stupid and careless. Now we have one of the best detectives from Detroit to solve this case. You both should be grateful."

"I'll show you grateful," Esposito mumbled under his breath.

"Come on, Esposito, there really isn't much we can do here," Ryan said. "We should go check out some leads."

"That sounds like a good idea," Caliver said, the desk and the floor surrounding it now clear of flowers. He then extended the full box out toward Esposito and Ryan, "And while you are busy wasting your time, you can drop these flowers off at Katherine's grave, or an old age home."

Esposito gritted his teeth. He could now see how McKenna and Caliver were related. "We'll do our investigation, you three stooges can do your own. Everything by my desk is off limits, and that includes our murder board," Esposito said, looking over at the whiteboard that still had Beckett's writing on it."¿Comprender?"

Caliver put his arms up in mock surrender, as Ryan and Esposito turned their backs on him, and headed toward the elevator.

* * *

BECKETT opened her eyes with a start, as the sound of Orion's voice kept telling her to wake up. Shifting over in the very uncomfortable mattress, she began to pick herself up.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"I thought we could play a game," Orion said. "It's awfully boring for me to sit here and watch you sleep."

Beckett half smiled to herself. "Well, if I am that boring, then by all means, you can let me go."

Orion laughed. "Stupid child, I'm not letting you go anywhere."

"Then quit complaining," Beckett said in a stern voice.

"Actually it's a rather simple game, and if you win, you get a prize."

"Oh joy," Beckett said sarcastically while stifling a yawn. She was fed up with this cat and mouse game.

The screen monitor began to glow, and within moments a makeshift game of hang man appeared on the screen. Beckett counted twelve spaces, making three words.

"Guess."

"Bite me."

"Wrong guess," Orion said, and drew a head. "Guess again."

"F."

Orion shook his head, while drawing the stick figures body.

"U."

"Detective, you're really bad at this game"- Orion suddenly paused midway while drawing one of the stick figure's arm - "Oh. Very clever."

Beckett smiled. "I thought so."

Orion let out a frustrated sigh. "I can see you aren't going to take this game seriously." He began to fill out the rest of the letters in the game to read 'ENJOY THE SHOW,' and suddenly the screen went back to what Beckett had first seen when Orion had played her her own funeral service, and it began to count down, until the only thing on the screen was a time stamp that read 7:00pm.

Beckett watched the darkened room, and ten minutes into it, the lights went on, and she got a better view at what Orion was making her watch. At first, when the credits were counting down, she thought he was going to show her the Precinct, that he somehow infiltrated the Bullpen and hidden cameras all around the place like he had done at the cemetery. However what she saw wasn't the Bullpen, in fact, it made her feel sick inside, and it was at that moment she realized just how twisted Orion really was.

"Recognize the place?" Orion asked, half laughing.

Of course Beckett recognized it. She grew up in that place. "You broke into my father's home," Beckett said angrily, but kept her eyes on the screen as she watched her father come into frame. He was holding something in his hand, that she couldn't quite make out, until he placed it on the coffee table.

It was a bottle of whiskey.

"No, Dad. Don't," Beckett said, and she watched as her father looked at the bottle long and hard. If he had just one sip, it would be enough to send him back into his downward spiral of alcoholism.

"Will he or won't he?" Came Orion's taunting voice. "That is the million dollar question."

Beckett felt her heart beat faster, and break a little, as her father reached for the bottle. However, a sudden knock on the door won over his attention, and he went to see who it was. Within moments, her father was back on the screen accompanied by another man. Relief washed over Beckett. It was Castle.

"Looks like your writer friend is joining your father for a little drink."

Beckett didn't respond to Orion, and instead just kept watching. She saw Castle notice the alcohol bottle and reach for it.

"What are you doing?" Castle asked, showing the bottle to Jim, who looked upset. "This isn't how you handle grief."

"Tell me, if you had to bury the woman you loved, and your daughter in a span of twelve years, how you would handle your grief? In case you haven't noticed, I don't handle loss very well."

"But this isn't the answer. Think about Kate and"-

Jim interrupted Castle. "I am thinking about Katie. That's all I think about. Did she call out for me? Did she suffer? Was she dead before...before she was placed in the incinerator? My mind is going a mile a second and I can't make it stop."

Beckett felt her stomach drop. If this was Orion's idea of torture, it sure beat out anything physical she could have possibly gone through.

"And you think alcohol will help?"

"It will numb the pain."

"It will also kill you," Castle reminded. "And I know for a fact Kate wouldn't want this."

"Oh yeah, how do you know that?"

"We were working on a case one time, and there was something about a Mummy curse, and I, stupidly, believed I was cursed and going to die, so I asked Kate to look after Alexis for me, and she said she would."

"That sounds like my daughter," Jim said, not sure where this conversation was heading.

"Remember when she got stabbed by the crazy twin doctor, Dr. Roker, well, when you left the hospital to get some rest she asked me to do the same for you if anything had happened to her. So for your daughter's memory, I'm asking you not to do this."

Beckett bit her lip.

"You're right. You're right," Jim said. "Get that bottle out of my sight."

Beckett let out a relieved gasp, much to Orion's dismay, who quickly shut off the live feed.

"I wouldn't be so cocky, Detective. Remember, I still have you."

Beckett couldn't really hear what Orion was saying, as she was happy that Castle had honored his promise to her, and also the fact that her father had turned down the alcohol. Even though Orion still had the upper hand, she counted this as win in her books, and it had given her the motivation she needed to find a way out again.

* * *

BY the time Esposito and Ryan had come back to the Precinct, it was late. They had spent the majority of the day looking at tips, and, like Caliver had said, they were a waste of time, but to them it was better then doing nothing.

Esposito stopped cold in his tracks while walking back to his desk when he noticed the murder board was gone. Panicked, both he and Ryan looked around for it, only to find it by Caliver's desk, along with his own murder board. He quickly walked up to it, and felt his heart stop for a moment once he realized Caliver had erased all of Beckett's notes.

Ryan stood beside Esposito, looking at his friend. He could see the anger rising in him. Their attention quickly turned toward the break room, as they heard McKenna, Caliver, and Johnson exit, each holding an espresso cup; an espresso cup they wouldn't have if it wasn't for Castle's generosity.

"What the hell?" Esposito said, approaching the three of them. "I told you to not touch our stuff!"

"We needed the board," McKenna answered.

"Bullshit you needed the board," Esposito said. "There are tons of other boards that are not in use, you did this on purpose, McKenna."

"Look, it's my fault, alright?" Caliver began. "I still kept some of Beckett's notes, but I work better if I write down what's in my head. I went over to look at the board and got carried away."

Esposito only glared at Caliver.

"Keeping Katherine's writing isn't the same as her still being here, you know," McKenna reminded.

That sent Esposito over the edge. Angrily, he grabbed the older, taller, guy by his jacket, and forcefully pushed him against the wall, causing McKenna to drop the cup. It was easy to forget that Esposito had been in the Military, until he used his training against a person.

"Esposito, come on, it's not worth it," Ryan said, trying to pull his friend off. But it was no use. "If the Captain sees"-

"Let the Captain see," Johnson said. "It's about time Esposito gets out of this Precinct for good anyway."

"Woah, woah, woah - Gentlemen!"

The five men suddenly turned around to see Castle standing in the middle of the Bullpen.

"Who is he?" Caliver asked.

"Who am I?" Castle looked over at Esposito and Ryan. "Who is he?"

Esposito let go of McKenna. "Meet Detective Jason Caliver. McKenna's cousin. Beckett's replacement."

Castle's expression quickly changed. "Replacement?"

McKenna straightened himself out. "Someone's gotta pick up the slack Katherine caused."

* * *

THE elevator doors to 4th floor of the 12th Precinct opened, and a man, dressed in a janitor uniform, with a nose and ears that didn't fit his facial features, and the name tag 'George' pinned across his right breast, stepped off the elevator and scoured the area. He watched, recognizing the writer, talking with five other people, in what appeared to be a heated conversation.

He smiled to himself. This was going to be fun.


	21. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

CASTLE leaned back in his chair, after having moved it from beside Caliver's desk to Ryan and Esposito's work area. Even though McKenna and Johnson said he didn't belong in the Precinct anymore, both Esposito and Ryan said he could stay, if only to tie up any loose ends for tonight only, otherwise their hands were tied, and Castle had understood.

Right now, Esposito and Ryan were over with McKenna, Johnson, and the new detective Caliver, going over the leads that they had investigated earlier in the day, so other then the janitor who was collecting garbage, Castle was all by himself.

He smiled at the janitor, whose name tag read George, and handed him the garbage bin that was beside him.

"Thank you," George said, with an awkward voice.

"No problem," Castle said. He watched as George emptied the bin into the larger garbage bag he carried on his cart.

"Say, you look familiar," George said. "Aren't you an author?"

Castle perked up in his chair. "As a matter of fact, I am."

"You've written the Derrick Storm and Nikki Heat series, haven't you?"

"I have," Castle answered. "You've read them?"

"Yep. Loved each and everyone." There was a small pause before he said, "Are you at the Precinct to write about a new murder case?"

"New murder case?" Castle asked.

"Yeah. It's all over the papers - the serial killer on the loose. The one that killed that woman detective? What was her name? Katherine Beckett?"

"I don't think I could write about that guy. The case is too personal."

"Hm. That's a shame," George said. "If anyone could do justice on that serial killer, it would be you. Alas, some other talentless hack writer will write about him."

Castle opened his mouth to say something, but George was already making his way back to the elevator, and Esposito and Ryan were making their way back to their desks.

"Something wrong, Castle?" Ryan asked, noticing the flubbed look on his friend's face.

"I was just talking to the janitor. He said I should write about this case in my next book."

"Someone's a fan," Esposito said as he shut down his computer and began to gather his things.

"You guys are going home?" Castle asked, to which both male detectives nodded.

"It's late. Jenny has dinner waiting for me, and there is nothing we can do at this hour anyway."

Castle nodded his head, getting up from his chair. He extended his hand to both Ryan and Esposito. "It was a pleasure getting to know you, and work along side you."

"Pleasure was ours, Bro," Esposito said, shaking his hand.

"We will sure miss your practical jokes and one liners," Ryan added, also shaking Castle's hand. "Have to admit, the diapers, dentures, and prune juice was the funniest by far."

Castle laughed, remembering how Esposito and Ryan lost track of an old man, posing to be handicapped, that escaped.

"Taking back the Espresso Machine?" Esposito asked, once they all made their way to the elevator.

"No. You guys can keep it. But, by all means, if you want to get the bomb squad to rig it so it looks like it exploded to get back at McKenna, Johnson, and Caliver, please by all means, do it, and then get it on Youtube, and I'll buy you guys a new one."

The three of them shared a quick laugh.

"And also, if you're still interested, I don't mind taking you two for money on our weekly poker night games."

"I've been getting better," Esposito said. "I'm going to be taking you for your money."

"All talk, Esposito. All talk."

"And you, Alexis and your mother will be at my wedding, right?" Ryan asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Castle said.

* * *

CASTLE opened the door quietly, making sure not to wake up his mother or Alexis, who he figured was still sleeping.

He made his way into the kitchen, and stopped suddenly when he saw Alexis sitting at the counter, with an icepack placed against her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked, causing Alexis to look at him.

"I think my wisdom teeth are growing in, and it hurts."

Castle sympathized with Alexis. "Yeah."

"Why couldn't teeth grow in all at once? Like when I was teething as a baby so I don't have to remember the pain?"

Castle laughed. "You may not remember your teething pain, but I sure do." He walked over to the fridge, pulling out a water.

"How did you deal with your wisdom teeth pain?"

"Jack Daniels."

"Anything _I_ can use?" Alexis asked.

"Sorry, honey."

Alexis got up from her chair. "I wish they would just fall out, or I'll pull them out." She walked over to her dad, and hugged him. "Did you say goodbye today?"

"Yeah. It's going to be weird not going to the Precinct anymore, but I'll still see Esposito and Ryan on poker nights, and we are all still going to Ryan's wedding."

"At least you'll still see them," Alexis said, pulling apart from the hug. "Are you going to bed?"

"I think I'm going to try to write something first, but soon."

"Good night, Dad."

"Good night, sweetie."

As Alexis made her way upstairs to her bedroom, Castle made his way into his office. He had always found that he worked better at night, and as he flipped open his laptop screen, and turned it around, facing his chair, the feeling he usually got when he figured something out during a murder investigation had struck him. His eyes widening, he quickly reached for his cellphone.

* * *

LANIE had just finished watching Dr. G, Medical Examiner on the television and was about to call it a night when she heard her cellphone vibrating. With all the chaos that had happened in the past weeks, on top of losing her best friend, all she wanted to do was crawl into her nice warm bed, but reluctantly, she walked over to her phone and checked to see who had texted her. She was surprised to see a text from Castle that simply read urgent, and asking to meet in the morgue as soon as possible. Intrigued, she replied with an 'okay,' and after putting her phone down, she went to her bedroom to get dressed, and head out again.

WHEN she arrived at the City Morgue, she was surprised to see Esposito and Ryan with Castle, waiting outside for her to let them in with her key.

"Thanks for coming, Lanie. I appreciate this," Castle said, once Lanie put her key into the door and let them all in.

"Your hunches usually pan out," Lanie said, leading the three men down in the morgue area. "I just don't know what help I'll be, or what you are looking for in the first place."

"None of us know," Esposito said. "Castle wouldn't tell us until we all were here."

Lanie just nodded her head, and flipped on the lights in the morgue. Castle had to admit to himself it was pretty weird to see a morgue empty without a body lying on a table, covered in a white sheet.

"So what did you want to tell us?" Ryan asked, once they all turned to look at Castle.

Castle looked directly at Lanie and asked, "Do you still have Beckett's teeth?"

Lanie was slightly taken aback by the odd request, but she nodded her head. "Just a second." She left the room, going into her office. When she returned, she had a small envelope in her hand and it was marked with an evidence seal. Three teeth, that were split in half, were placed on a metal tray.

"What about her teeth?" Esposito asked. It could have been the lack of sleep, but he wasn't seeing what Castle was seeing.

"When I got home today Alexis was complaining that her mouth was hurting because her wisdom teeth were growing in."

"Okay..." Esposito said, still not following.

Castle turned to Lanie again. "Maybe you'll know better then me, but what teeth are these?"

Lanie looked at Castle for a moment before turning her attention back to the teeth. She put each of the teeth pieces together, and really looked at it. Her eyes widened as she looked back up at Castle. "Wisdom teeth."

"What are you getting at, Castle?" Ryan asked.

"Teeth sometimes don't get incinerated along with the rest of the body. If there were any teeth that were the most dispensable on a person it would be"-

"The wisdom teeth," Lanie said, interrupting Castle.

"Exactly. And since we can't get DNA samples from ashes, the next bet is to extract it from the teeth. If someone wanted to fake a persons death, it would be the best way to do it."

"Are you saying what I think you are saying?" Lanie asked.

Castle nodded his head. "Beckett could still be alive."


	22. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

THE next morning, Esposito and Ryan walked into the 12th Precinct with a renewed sense of focus. If Castle's hunch had a hint of being true, then hope had been restored, so no longer were they only looking for Beckett's killer, but they were now looking for Beckett as well.

Castle had told them, and Lanie to keep this information a secret. He didn't want to get anyone's, namely, Jim Beckett's, hope up if his hunch had turned out to be wrong, and they all agreed. Esposito and Ryan said they couldn't anticipate any problems from McKenna and Johnson, however the new detective, Caliver, might be a different story.

"Morning, Detectives," Caliver greeted. It still made Esposito uneasy to see him at Beckett's desk.

"Morning, detective," Both Ryan and Esposito said in unison, dropping their things off at their joint desk, before turning toward the break room to make themselves a coffee.

"Can I have a minute of your time?" Caliver asked, which caused both Ryan and Esposito to stop walking, and turn in their tracks.

"Sure," Ryan said.

"I just have a question. It's about the case."

Esposito only nodded.

"Can I ask what two you, the morgue lady, and Richard Castle were doing at the morgue last night?"

'_Shit.'_ Esposito thought, looking over at Ryan, who had the exact same expression on his face. However, Esposito, being who he was, played it cool. "First of all, her name is Lanie Parish. Dr. Lanie Parish."

Caliver half smiled. "I'm sorry. _Dr. Lanie Parish."_

"Second, it's none of your business," Esposito finished.

"It is if you were discussing the case, with a civilian no less," Caliver reminded. "Or have you forgotten that Richard is no longer allowed to shadow the NYPD."

"We haven't forgotten," Ryan said. "And we weren't discussing the case."

"You know, Kevin, I want to believe you, but I have a friend who works in the morgue, and he all saw you go in at a very odd hour of the night. So, you can either explain away, or I'll go to the Captain and have both your asses fired."

Esposito sighed, turning toward Ryan. "We should just tell him, Bro."

Caliver had a smile on his face. "I'm listening."

Esposito motioned Caliver toward the computer. He got the internet browser on, and typed in an address. What popped up was a website for a scavenger game, which read the team who could take the most pictures in different places around New York City would win an unnamed prize. Esposito clicked a link, showing the pictures they had already accumulated with the three of them together. One, even in front of the New York City court house, and even in a judge's chamber. There was also a picture of them in the morgue.

Caliver's mouth was agape. "You're serious?"

"We started this game a long time ago. Deadline was coming up, and we were getting beat. We called Lanie for a favor. Now we are número uno," Esposito said, crossing his arms.

Caliver straightened himself out, and with a dejected look on his face, he made his way to the other side of the room, probably to where McKenna and Johnson were at.

When he was gone, Ryan let out a relieved sigh. "Thank god for Castle's quick thinking."

"I know. I was surprised the guy who made his website was able to make a fake one so fast. I could have sworn Caliver was going to tell that half those pictures with us in them were photoshopped."

"Let's just be grateful for Castle and his connections. But right now, we have more important things to do."

Esposito nodded his head. Finding Beckett was their number one priority, and then Orion, to make sure he'll never do this to anyone again.

* * *

ORION had been quiet for quite some time, and Beckett had appreciated his absence. It had given her the time to figure out a way to escape, knowing he wasn't watching - and if he was, he certainly wasn't saying anything, and usually that would make her uneasy because he could be planning something too, but with everyone thinking she was already dead, she felt she really didn't have that much more to lose.

She realized playing around with the ankle chain wasn't going to work. Instead, she needed something that would be able to pick the lock. The little holding cell she was in was 'tidy' enough, so that she couldn't find anything, and Orion made sure the food and water she was given couldn't be consumed with utensils, so on his end, he had made sure she was there for the long run, or until he got bored with her.

However, to her luck, there was one thing Orion had overlooked. Squared away for privacy was a small washroom with a toilet, a shower, and a sink. At the time, they had been useless to her, because there was nothing she could use to undo the chain on her ankle.

On day, out of pure frustration and anger, she had rammed herself into the toilet. She didn't know why she did it at the time - maybe to get Orion's attention and confront him, but the cover on top of the toilet bowl had budged slightly. She had guessed Orion had caulked it down, but the caulking was starting to wear loose, and if she was able to keep moving the top cover every so often, she would be able to get the small clip that was attached to the chain and use that as a means to pick the lock on her ankle.

And today was her lucky day. Orion hadn't said anything yet, but she still quietly removed the top of the toilet, and was able to unclip the clip. Her plan was to pick the lock, wait for Orion to say something, tell him that the toilet was broken, and hopefully have him come down and check it out. When he did, she would charge him, and then escape.

A small smile graced her lips. He wouldn't know what hit him.

* * *

EVEN though he wasn't supposed to be at the 12th Precinct, Castle made his way back in earlier in the evening. His mother had told him it was a bad idea to go, saying he could get in trouble, but he assured his mother that the three stooges were probably gone home for the evening anyway. McKenna and Johnson hated work and overtime as much as Castle hated the Twilight series. What Alexis saw in those books, he would never even begin to understand. To him, there was just something inherently wrong with a vampire not bursting into flames when exposed to the sun.

He made his way to the 4th floor, and smiled at some of the uniformed officers who didn't stop him from walking around the Bullpen. In a way, he was kind of disappointed no one had his picture taped to a wall saying that he was not allowed back in - but that was mostly his ego talking.

"Castle," Ryan hissed from the break room, and ushered him over quickly. "You can't be here."

"They're still here?" Castle asked, kind of surprised.

"Captain called them in for a meeting, but they're leaving soon. If they see you"-

"I know, I know. Hiding now."

Ryan watched as Castle walked into the women's washroom. Normally he would have chuckled, but it was a smart move on Castle's part, considering McKenna, Johnson, or Caliver could use the male washroom.

From the other side of the bullpen, Esposito made his way over to Ryan, holding a folder. "What's up?"

"Castle. He's here."

Esposito looked around the room. "Where?"

"In the women's washroom. He went to hide when he found out _they_ were still here."

Esposito just nodded his head, but his attention quickly turned to Captain Montgomery's office when he saw the Detectives in question leave, and close the door behind them.

McKenna stopped in front of Ryan and Esposito. There was a smug grin on his face, that the two other Detectives wanted to slap off. "Guess who has three tickets to see the New York Rangers play in an hour?"

"Uh...three people in New York?" Ryan asked, which caused Esposito to laugh.

"Me, you idiot. Front row seats too," McKenna continued. "I wouldn't be jealous if I were you, Ryan. Some people just aren't as lucky as I am. But maybe when you see the wizard, you should ask for a brain."

Both Johnson and Caliver laughed at McKenna's quip. "Good one," Johnson said.

Esposito just let out an impatient sigh. "Well, Dorothy, you better run along. You don't want to be late." McKenna just waved him off, and mimicking the voice from the Wizard of Oz, Esposito continued by improvising, "And take your little dogs too."

Esposito and Ryan watched as the three detectives whom they couldn't stand finally leave the bullpen. Once they were sure they were gone, they went to get Castle in the washroom, who was talking to one of the female officers.

"How do you do it Castle? Everyone you talk to seems to love you, even for the first time," Esposito asked amazed, as the three males made their way over to shared desk.

"It's a gift," Castle said. "Although, it doesn't work all the time. But eventually I grow on people...take Beckett for example." Castle suddenly stopped himself, hearing Beckett's voice inside his head, in very sarcastic tone saying, "_Like a fungus."_

_ "_You alright?" Ryan asked, noticing Castle's pause.

Castle shrugged it off. "I'm fine." He took a seat in the chair he pulled up beside Ryan and Esposito. They brain stormed on certain ideas for some time before Montgomery had called Ryan and Esposito into his office, no doubt to give the same speech to them, as he did with the three Stooges.

While he was waiting, he noticed George, the janitor from the other night, back doing his rounds. Castle smiled politely at him and waved, and George waved back.

"How are you doing tonight?" Castle asked George, once he came around to collect the garbage by Ryan and Esposito.

"Fine, and you?"

"I'm alright." Castle handed George the garbage bin.

"Still working on that same case?"

Castle nodded his head, his attention briefly diverting over to Montgomery's door that just opened, seeing Ryan and Esposito step out. "Yeah, this case is a real killer - no pun intended."

George just laughed somewhat awkwardly. In a weird voice, he continued saying, "So many questions. So little time."

Castle nodded his head with a small smile on his face, as George turned away, heading back toward the elevator. However, his smile faded, when he suddenly got a flashback to when he was captured by Orion, and remembered hearing that exact phrase. His eyes widened, watching George look back at him from the elevator, with a taunting smile on his face.

Castle shot up from his chair. "Ryan! Esposito! That's him! That's Orion!"

Ryan and Esposito exchanged confused glances, but nonetheless, they ran toward the elevator, which caused Orion to hit the close button faster. Castle was closer, so he ran toward it, trying to stop him. He was able to get into the elevator before it closed, but Orion kicked him, sending him to the ground, and out of the elevator.

"You're too late, Richard," Orion taunted in his natural voice, as the elevator doors began to close. "You aren't going to catch me."

Esposito drew his gun, pointing it at Orion, while Ryan was able to jam the elevator using the service key.

"You forgot," Castle began to say, picking himself up from the ground. They had Orion cornered. "That you are in a police Precinct."

There was a deflated look on Orion's face as Esposito roughly grabbed him, and handcuffed him, while reading his rights.

"How'd you know it was him?" Ryan asked, once Esposito and two other uniformed officers took him down to booking.

"It was something he said. I heard it when I was captured. Even though the voice was distorted, I could still hear that subtle hint of pleasure in his voice."

* * *

HIS real name was Carter Tooney. His prints were in the system for assault with a deadly weapon when he was in his twenties in Florida. When he got to New York, Esposito guessed he stole someone's identity and had been living off that while he had been here.

Ryan and Esposito entered the interrogation room where Carter was sitting. He seemed unfazed by the whole situation.

"You're looking at the Death Penalty," Ryan began, sitting down.

"You can't prove it was me," Carter said smugly, which caused Esposito to walk over to him and pull up his shirt sleeve. There was a tattoo of the constellation Orion on his arm.

"I'll bet there are more tattoos of Orion covering your body," Esposito said, letting go.

"We have you for the murders of Victor Shawn, Cassandra Owens, Layla Woo and Jason Burke." Ryan said. "And those are just the murders that we know of. I have a feeling there are a lot more bodies to your name. We also have you for the kidnapping of Richard Castle."

Carter just smiled. "You're forgetting one more."

"Which one is that?" Ryan asked.

"Detective Katherine Beckett."

Esposito just snorted. "We don't believe she is dead."

Carter perked up, leaning forward. "Really. That's interesting."

"You're looking at the Death Penalty, Carter," Esposito said. "You tell us where she is, and we'll ask that it be taken off the table."

"She is in the ground somewhere. You did get her ashes I sent you, no?"

"We got someone's ashes, and three of her teeth. That isn't proof."

Carter leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I think I want a lawyer now."

* * *

MONTGOMERY pulled Esposito and Ryan aside once they stepped out of the interrogation room.

"He's smart, I'll give him that much. But where the hell are you pulling this Beckett could still be alive thing from?"

"It's a hunch, Captain," Esposito answered.

"It could cost us this case. Whose idea was this?"

"Actually, it was mine," Castle said from the back.

Montgomery just rubbed his head. "How sure are you that Beckett could still be alive?"

"We aren't that sure, but it is worth looking into. Things just don't add up," Ryan said.

"Pull up any property listings on his name and his assumed one. See if there are any places that pop up. I have a good friend who is a judge that will sign off on a search warrant."

"Thank you, Captain," Castle said, before following Esposito and Ryan out into the bullpen.

* * *

THE search for property on Tooney's name and the assumed one he took over and panned out. Under the assumed name, there was a warehouse type building located about 10 miles from the Burke crime scene in the middle of nowhere. It was the perfect place to hide somebody.

The team was all in place; each wearing their Kevlar vests just in case. With their guns out, they entered the warehouse, turning on the light. The first thing they saw were two chairs, and Castle knew this had to be the right place.

"Split up. Take upstairs, we go down," Esposito commanded, and the two teams went separate ways.

Castle ran ahead of everyone, going through a door that led him to a lower part of the warehouse, where there was a fluorescent light shining in the long hallway.

"Beckett!" He called out. "Kate are you in here?" He turned the corridor, his eyes landing on a makeshift prison cell, with a mattress on the floor. His eyes wandered over to a woman, with long brown-matted hair, who was huddled in the corner.

"Kate!" He said, relief in his voice. "We're going to get you out of here, Kate." Castle then turned his attention back down to the hallway, and yelled, "Guys! I found her!"

He turned his attention back to Kate, who still remained huddled in the corner. "Kate. It's me. It's Castle. You're safe now."

The woman began to turn around and slowly and face Castle. "Who is Kate?"

Castle felt the bottom of his stomach drop, as Ryan and Esposito finally caught up to him. The woman being held captive was not Kate Beckett.

"Who are you?" Esposito asked.

"Sarah...Sarah McDonald. I was shot by a dart, and the next thing I know I wake up in this room, and there is a man talking to me over a radio or an intercom or something, with a weird distorted voice, saying he is Orion."

Castle turned himself away from the makeshift prison. It felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. His eyes began to blur, and his hearing became muffled. He was barely able to hear Ryan and Esposito assure Sarah that they were going to get her out.


	23. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

CASTLE was sitting outside, watching the ambulance, fire department, and police lights light up the dark area in a kind of purplish tint, when the red and blue would mix together for a brief second.

He watched as the paramedics carefully walked Sarah to the waiting ambulance. Other then a few small cuts, she seemed to be physically okay, however Castle knew that mentally, she was probably a wreck.

"Hey," Ryan said, sitting beside Castle. "We did a sweep of the place. Upstairs there was a control room, probably where Orion was communicating from. We also looked for more cells, but we couldn't find any, and Sarah said that it appeared as though she was the only one there."

Castle nodded his head, the last bit of hope dying with him. "So I guess those ashes were really hers then."

"I'm sorry, Castle."

"Yeah. Me too."

They arrived back at the Precinct an hour later. Montgomery was waiting for them, having been already briefed by Esposito on the warehouse turnout over the phone. He had a sympathetic look on his face.

"Where is he?" Castle asked, once they stopped in front of the Captain.

"In our holding area," Montgomery said.

Castle just nodded his head. "I think I'm going to call it a night."

"You going to be okay?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah," Castle said, and then waved goodbye to his friends. He started to make his way over to the elevators. He looked behind him, making sure no one was looking, and instead of going on the elevators, he made a quick dash over to the holding area, looking for Carter.

Carter was lying on the bed without a care in the world. He got up once he noticed the writer. "Didn't find what you were looking for?" He made his way over to the cell bars, putting his hands on the cool metal.

"We found another victim. Alive and well."

"Sarah McDonald. Like what I did there, Mr. Castle? I took a person who resembled the Detective." Carter laughed, which caused Castle to snap.

Castle put his hands through the cell bars, taking grip of Carter's shirt collar and pulling him forward, which caused Carter to hit his head hard on the metal bars, splitting it open.

"Where is she?" Castle demanded, and Carter only laughed some more as blood dripped down his face.

"I don't know, Mr. Castle. Do you believe in Heaven and Hell? Which one do _you_ think she is in?"

Castle only gripped on him tighter, but the commotion in the holding area was enough to grab the attention of Esposito, Ryan and Montgomery who came running in.

"Castle that's enough, Bro," Esposito said as he and Ryan pulled him away from Carter.

"Can we get a medic?" Montgomery called out, once he noticed Carter's forehead. He then turned to Castle, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Castle was to angry to respond.

"Get out of here and wait in my office," Montgomery commanded. "Before you cause anymore trouble."

Castle complied, but his hand was still in a fist as he heard Carter laughing on his way out.

* * *

BECKETT had waited, and waited, for Orion to say something, to know that he was still around, but finally she had given up and began to look around the cell for a way out. The metal bars were unmovable, and she couldn't squeeze herself through them. The chute that she received her food from was small also, and the walls were also solid concrete, so she knew she wouldn't be able to escape through that either.

She paced around the room, dread sinking in her. What if she was never able to escape this place? Anger had washed over her, and in another fit of rage, with all the strength she had, she grabbed the mattress from the floor and lifted it up, throwing it slightly. The mattress rested up wise against the bars, but not before budging one of the ceiling tiles by the washroom.

Beckett could have kicked herself for not noticing that earlier. Orion had painted the removable tiles to look like concrete and he did a very good job in doing so. However, it wouldn't have made much of a difference if she had noticed earlier, because she still would have been chained to a wall.

She quickly made her way over to the washroom, and climbed the toilet seat, to reach the height of the ceiling. She began to move the tile enough so it completely came down, along with it, was a speaker phone where she heard Orion's voice coming from. She threw both of those things in the shower, and then hoisted herself by using the shower walls, and shimmied herself up, until she was able to climb into the ceiling.

It was dark, and very dirty, and it reminded her of the time she climbed into the attic at her parent's home as a little kid, but she figured if she kept going straight, eventually she would find a way out.

_CRASH! THUD!_

Beckett had fallen through the ceiling, hitting the ground hard. She moaned in pain, as dust and cobwebs covered her. She slowly turned around, to see how far she had gotten, and smiled when she noticed she was on the opposite end of the cell. She pulled herself up, clutching her right side ribs which had taken the brunt end of her fall. She figured she might have cracked them, but now wasn't the time to cry in pain. Orion could come back at any moment, and what she needed to do was find a way out. She began to limp toward the light, noticing a door, and she tried to move as fast as she could.

THE night air felt good on her face, once she was able to exit the warehouse. She thought Orion would have made it more difficult for her to escape, but then she realized Orion probably never intended for her to get this far.

She had no idea where she was, other then an address that was written on the warehouse. She kept repeating the number, and she just kept walking, hoping she would be able to find something, either a pay phone or a residential home.

It felt as though she was walking forever until a car pulled up beside her. In it was a woman, around the same age her mother would have been today had she not been murdered, along with her husband, who was driving the car. They were dressed in fancy clothes, as if they were driving home from a wedding.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked, once she noticed Beckett's state.

"I've been kidnapped," Beckett said. "Do you have a phone on you?"

"A phone? We are taking you to a hospital," The woman said. "Get in."

"No. I can't go to a hospital. Not yet. My name is Kate Beckett. I'm an NYPD Detective."

The husband and wife exchanged a look. "Where do you need to go?" The husband asked.

"To the 12th Precinct," Beckett replied. She heard the backdoor unlock.

"We will take you there," The wife said and Beckett complied, thanking them, and asking for their names.

"My name is Catherine, but it's spelt with a C, and this is my husband, Rick White."

Beckett almost laughed out loud, and she couldn't decide whether this was irony or fate.

"Catherine do you have a pen and paper on you? I need to write something down before I forget."

Catherine rummaged through her purse, pulling out an old receipt, along with a pen. "Will this be okay?"

"It will be fine, thank you."

* * *

BECKETT had thanked the White's profusely for their generosity. Catherine still wished she had brought her to a hospital instead, but Beckett assured them she would be fine, but there was something more important to take care of.

She rode the elevator up the 4th floor and stepped off. The bullpen was practically empty, but she noticed Captain Montgomery's office light still on, and Esposito and Ryan's things were still on their desk. She limped her way over to her desk. She had always kept spare clothes and toiletries in her locker, and the key to her locker was in her drawer. As she got closer, she noticed her two elephants were gone on her desk, along with some of her other things, and when she opened her desk drawer a picture of a Detective she had never seen before and McKenna had greeted her. Her eyes widened.

"What happened to my desk!" Beckett shouted, which caused Captain Montgomery's office door to fly open.

"Kate?" Castle said, once he noticed the very dirty woman standing at her desk. "You're alive!" He turned to Esposito, Ryan, and Montgomery who had shocked looks on their faces. "I'm not dreaming am I?"

Beckett turned to face them. "What happened to my desk? Where are my things?"

"Kate, you're dirty, you are hurt, and you've been missing for quite some time now - everyone thought you were dead and you are asking about your desk?" Montgomery questioned.

"Captain, the person who did this to me is still out there. I can't catch him if I don't have my things."

"We caught him," Ryan said. "He's in the holding cell."

"You caught Orion?"

"His real name is Carter Tooney. He paid the Precinct a visit. He said something to Castle and it sparked a memory. He confessed to the murders." Esposito answered.

"Are you sure it's him?" Beckett asked.

"He has Orion tattooed all over his body," Castle said. "Where were you?"

"I was in a warehouse in God knows where. I escaped, and a couple dropped me off here."

"We just raided a warehouse under an assumed identity. The only person we found was a woman named Sarah McDonald who was being held captive. It was 10 miles west from the Burke crime scene," Ryan said.

"I was nowhere near the Burke crime scene. He must have used another identity, one we don't know about, and bought property there. I wasn't able to see it all, but it had two chairs, and an upstairs" Beckett said. There was a moment of silence between the the four of them. "I want to see him."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Montgomery said. "Castle had already roughed him up earlier."

Beckett looked at Castle, who just turned away sheepishly. "I promise I won't bait the animal."

Montgomery nodded, and they all helped Beckett, was clearly in pain, make her way over to the holding cell.

Carter was still awake when they had come in. "Come for round two?"

"Actually someone wants to see you," Esposito said, and the four men stepped aside so Beckett could approach him.

For the first time, Carter was surprised. "How - What?"

"I take it you are surprised to see me," Beckett said.

"How'd you escape?"

"I'm not telling you. I just came to show you, you aren't as smart as you think you are."

Carter rushed toward the bars, and Beckett stepped back. "How did you escape?"

Beckett ignored him, turning to face her friends. "I need a shower, and then you can take me to the hospital."

Beckett and the others started to leave, ignoring Carter's yells of, 'How did you escape!'

* * *

THE doctor had just finished his examination of Beckett. He had put and I.V. in her arm to give her some antibiotics and nutrients that she had been deprived of, and had also given her something for the pain and swelling of her ribs and ankle. Luckily, she had only suffered a sprain, and a little cracked rib that would heal on it's own.

She was lying down in the bed, when her favorite doctor pulled back the curtain and rushed in.

"Girl, I nearly jumped when Javier phoned and said you were alive," Lanie said, and she walked over to her best friend and gave her a hug.

"You didn't have to come to the hospital this late," Beckett responded, happy to see Lanie.

"Nothing would have stopped me. I'm so glad they have that son of a bitch behind bars."

"At least some of the victims families can get peace. Carter said he had killed more but he won't reveal their identities."

"I'm so glad you are alright. We had a funeral for you, you know."

"I know. Carter taped it, and made me watch. I told Castle about him taping those things, when he told me about my funeral, and he just responded, 'That Looney Tooney.'"

"Leave it to Castle to make some kind of joke," Lanie laughed.

"Speaking of Castle, where is he? Did he leave? I know Ryan and Esposito left."

"I didn't see him when I came in. He probably went home to get some rest."

"Yeah," Beckett said, her voice faltering a little.

"Something wrong?" Lanie asked.

"No. It's just, he didn't say goodbye."

"He probably didn't want to bother you, but I know for a fact that he is way happy to see you."

Beckett just smiled. "You should go home Lanie, get some rest. You have work tomorrow."

Lanie looked apprehensive, but nodded her head, and then left after giving Beckett a quick hug, and then kiss on the forehead.

She was alone for a little while, and she began to drift in and out of sleep, until she heard a familiar voice loudly say, "Katie!"

Her eyes popped open when she saw her father enter the room, followed behind by Castle. She tightly embraced her father.

"Oh god, Katie. I thought I lost you," Jim said, breaking down.

"Can't get rid of me that easily," She joked. Jim separated from the hug and gave her a once over, to make sure she was okay. "I'm fine Dad, really."

"Rick here came to get me at my house. At first I thought I was dreaming."

"They are going to keep me overnight, but I'll be good to go tomorrow morning." She paused, and this time she gave her father the once over. He looked exhausted. "Maybe you should go home and get some sleep."

"I'm not leaving you," Jim said.

"Dad, honestly I'm fine. Besides, you'll have to wake up early to go the cemetery and have them remove the ashes from Mom's plot, and then come pick me up."

Jim nodded his head.

"Castle, can you drive my dad home?" Beckett asked.

"We took separate cars," Jim said, as he hugged his daughter tightly one more time. "I didn't want to keep him if I stayed later or went home early." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, kid."

"I love you too, Dad."

Jim waved goodbye, and left.

Beckett turned to Castle. "It's almost time for you to get going home soon."

"I phoned my Mother and Alexis. They are really happy you are okay."

"Yeah. Me too," Beckett smiled.

"This night has been so crazy. I went from having hope that you were still alive, to not having hope, to you standing at your desk asking where your things are."

Beckett joked, "Who knows Castle, maybe you are dreaming."

"Nah," Castle said assuredly. "If I were dreaming you would have ran into my arms and kiss-" Beckett pinched him - "Ow! And that wouldn't have hurt."

The two of them shared a smile, Beckett deciding not to share the names of the couple who had dropped her off at the Precinct.

"I want to thank you, Castle," Beckett began. "For looking after my Dad for me. Carter had put cameras in his home. I saw him with the bottle."

"Always, Kate, and I know you would have done the same for me." He watched as her eyes began to drift. "I think I should let you get some sleep. Goodnight Kate." He got up from his chair, and just as he was about to leave, Beckett grabbed his hand hard, stopping him in his tracks.

"Goodnight, Castle."

* * *

WHEN Beckett returned to work following a two-day leave of absence, Castle was already there waiting for her, along with Ryan and Esposito, who were more then happy to have their fellow female detective back. Unfortunately, McKenna, Johnson and the new Detective, whom she didn't know his name, were near the vicinity, and Beckett really didn't feel like dealing with them.

"Ah, it feels good to be back," Castle said, loud enough for McKenna and Johnson to hear. He knew those two hated him, and he figured now that Beckett was back, Caliver would be going back to Detroit.

"Well I'm glad everyone is here," Captain Montgomery said, coming out of his office, everyone turned to face him. "Because I have an announcement to make." Montgomery turned his attention toward Beckett.

"Detective Beckett, I'd like you to meet Detective Jason Caliver from Detroit. He is McKenna's cousin." Caliver extended a hand, and Beckett shook it quickly, before they both let go. "You two should be getting to know each other, because from now on you two are going to be Partners."

Both Castle and Beckett turned to face Captain Montgomery, each with a surprised and shocked look on their face, and in unison, they both said, "Partners?"

* * *

END - Don't worry. There is another story I am working on to follow up on the last reveal ;)


End file.
